


The New Guard

by cordeliadelayne



Series: Man-Made [6]
Category: Primeval, Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dinosaurs, Drama, Gen, Time Travel, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 08:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6510076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knows that fighting a war on two fronts is an impossible feat, but when those fronts are the past and the future, humanity's survival is put to the ultimate test. Can the ARC team save the world, or are they about to face the ultimate extinction event?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kristen_mara](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=kristen_mara).



> Dedicated to kristen_mara and originally posted to Livejournal in 2012.

**Location: Unknown**

Stephen had never really told his friends what had happened after Helen had taken him to Dr Samson in the future. Not exactly how he'd been put back together again after the creature attack in the bunker. Not what his recovery had been like. (They knew bits, obviously, about how he was and always would be part Predator now. That'd he'd been put back together like Frankenstein's monster with all the baggage that entailed. That he was still learning exactly what that meant).

Partly that was because it was hazy – vivid nightmarish flashes startling him at the most inopportune moments. And partly because he didn't want to burden them with that. It didn’t matter what they told him, or how welcoming they had been. Were. That he was part of the team again. He still felt, deep down, that he had only got what he had deserved.

For betraying Cutter. For trusting Helen. For not being the man he'd thought he was.

So many regrets that he'd lost count. In his darkest moments he couldn't fathom how they could possibly trust him. But he was selfishly grateful that they did.

And now he may never see them again, and again it would be because of his actions. His recklessness.

At least, he thought, in his final moments, he was thinking of his friends. He only hoped they were thinking of him.

And then he took the gun in his hand, and fired.

**Location: The ARC**

James Lester took the file he had been reading and threw it across the room, where it came to a halt by the glass wall of his office. It joined the other five files he had already thrown there. He could make out his PA, Lorraine, hovering by the doorway, just itching to clean up his mess but he shook his head at her and reluctantly she moved away. For the moment he didn't want any more interruptions.

In fact all he wanted was to return to bed and apologise to his wife for disappearing in the early hours of the morning again. The woman was a saint and he was very lucky to have her. He tapped a quick email to Lorraine asking her to send some flowers to his house and promised himself that he would go out at lunch time and buy her some jewellery – she could always tell when he got someone else to buy it for him.

In the meantime, he needed to concentrate. There were budget reports to be written. Repairs to be overseen. And MI5 debriefings to attend.

He wondered exactly how that was going, but resolutely did not flick the computer screen's monitor to that of what Connor had dubbed the “interrogation chamber”. In reality it was merely a small room with a table and chairs and a bright white light. That right now held Captain Becker, Lucas North on secondment from MI5 and the Russian scientist Anatoly Kuznetsov.

Kuznetsov, who had been involved in experiments involving anomalies and future predators in Russia, part of the Russian equivalent of the ARC, had been surprisingly cooperative, though Lester wasn't sure whether that was because he was genuinely eager to help, or because Lucas North was the kind of interrogator that struck fear into the hearts of most men. Lester would certainly not want to face him in an interrogation room.

And then of course there was the loss of Stephen to deal with.

Stephen's loss.

Two words that were still hard to comprehend. It had been two months since Stephen disappeared through an anomaly, final destination unknown, after the man masquerading as Dr Jin, the ARC's psychologist. A man he'd trusted with secrets he had revealed to no one else, a man who it had turned out was actually named Banyon from the future, with a sideline in pretending to be a Russian scientist who'd fooled them all, Brits and Russians, in an attempt to create a super race using Stephen and the predator's genetic mangling as a blueprint. They weren't even sure that Banyon was the man's real name. All they had to go on for that was Stephen’s clone. Who had also disappeared through the anomaly after Jin.

“Clone's, anomalies, secret identities,” Lester muttered to himself, “when did this become my life?”

“Sure fire sign of madness. Talking to yourself.”

Lester looked up to find Nick Cutter standing in his doorway. He looked particularly bedraggled today, with a fresh smattering of stubble on his face, hair pointing in all directions, and, Lester noted with particular amusement, he was wearing one red sock and one brown.

“This place is guaranteed to drive anybody to distraction,” Lester replied. He stood up from his desk and retrieved the files that he had thrown earlier. He didn’t explain to Cutter what he had been doing, and Cutter didn't ask.

“I want to come back to work.”

Lester shot him an incredulous look. “You can't even dress yourself properly.”

“That isn't true,” Cutter snapped. “I'm just...”

“I'm not letting you come back until I'm sure you won't go completely off the deep end. Again.”

“He deserved it,” Cutter said, unconsciously rubbing at his bruised knuckles.

Lester sighed. He wasn't going to rehash that old argument. “Be that as it may, Mr Quinn apologised for his comments and although insufferable he is also a valued member of this team. I'm not finished!” Lester shouted as Cutter started to open his mouth. “You either get along with him or you leave.”

“You're choosing him over me?” Cutter gaped.

“I'm merely choosing sanity,” Lester said. He rubbed at his temples, his pounding headache threatening to drown out the rest of his conversation. “For once in your life Cutter, be the responsible one.”

Cutter looked something like a fish as he stood there, opening and closing his mouth.

“When Stephen gets back he isn't going to want to see you like this,” Lester sighed. “He deserves better.”

Cutter's shoulders slumped. He knew that Lester was right. He was, after all, only repeating what Jenny, Abby, Connor, and even Becker had already told him. It felt more final when Lester said it though.

Not that Cutter was about to tell him that.

“Very well,” he said. “I'll go home, change...” Just then the Anomaly Alarm went off and Cutter looked through Lester's window to the Atrium below. Danny was already there, with Abby and Connor following quickly behind; they didn’t need an extra pair of hands. “I'll come back in the morning.”

If Lester was surprised by his decision, he didn't let it show. Instead he nodded and walked past Cutter to the ADD.

“Well?” he asked the assembled room.

“Looks like it's opened at St Pancras,” Connor told him. “No word on any creature sighting yet, though.”

“Thank heaven for small mercies,” Lester muttered. “All right, Quinn you lead the team. Lorraine, call MI5, let them know what's going on. No need for them to join us unless Mr Lucas insists.”

“Yes, sir,” Lorraine said, already sliding into position at her new desk, eager fingers dancing over the appropriate controls. After the last incursion into the ARC the government (with not a little persuasion from Harry Pearce at MI5 headquarters) had agreed to an increase in their budget. It wasn't a massive amount of money, but Lester was grateful for every penny.

Cutter had followed the others down to the ADD and watched as Danny directed them to grab their weapons from the armoury. Danny paused, rubbing at his jaw, and raised an eyebrow.

“You coming with us, Professor?”

Connor and Abby hesitated behind Danny, waiting to see what Cutter was going to say.

“You go ahead. I think you’ve got it covered.” He forced a smile out at the shocked expressions on the others' faces. “I'm on my mobile if you need me.”

“Really?” Connor asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “You're sure?”

“Yes, Connor, I'm sure.” Cutter waved a hand at the three of them. “I trust you.”

The three of them nodded and smiled, moving off as one to find out what the creature incursion was that awaited them. Cutter watched them go, surprised that he didn't feel more put out. Maybe a break from the anomaly project, even if for only a short while, really was what he needed.

**Location: Cutter's House**

Cutter was forced to park across the road from his house due to some water mains repairs which seemed to have sprung up whilst he was at the ARC.

He typically couldn't see any signs of activity and imagined they were all taking an early lunch break.

As he approached his front door he heard a car door open and shut but paid no real attention until his arm was being grabbed.

“Professor Cutter? Nick Cutter of the Central Metropolitan University?”

Bemused, Nick nodded and extricated his arm from the woman's grip.

“Oh, thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to wait here all day.” The woman put her hand out to shake and Cutter did so. “Dr Ally Morgan.”

“Have we met?” Cutter asked. He took a moment to stare at Dr Morgan. She had short curly brown hair held away from her face by two clips that looked to be in the shape of double helix’s and her body was hidden by an overly large overcoat with ink stains on the cuffs.

“Oh, goodness no! We work in totally different fields. Totally.” She paused and they stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. “Can I come in?”

“Oh,” Cutter said, trying to decide whether he should be allowing strange women to enter his house. Before he'd decided on an excuse however, Dr Morgan had moved to stand by his front door and looked over at him expectantly.

“Right, yes, come on through.” Cutter unlocked the front door and waved Dr Morgan in.

She waited for him in the hallway and he took her through to the kitchen.

“Can I take your coat?”

“No, thank you. But a cup of tea would be lovely.”

Slightly taken aback Cutter shucked off his own coat, put it over the back of a chair and made a start on the tea. He was grateful that Abby and Connor had come around the night before with groceries and to tidy up, otherwise he didn't know what sort of impression he would be leaving.

“I have to tell you straight up, I've read everything your wife's ever written.”

Cutter dropped the milk jug he was carrying. Milk covered the table, but thankfully the jug itself didn't smash.

“You're here about my _wife?_ ” Cutter asked as he dashed around the room, trying to find where Abby had left the paper towels in order to dab up the mess.

“Indirectly,” Dr Morgan replied, not moving in her seat even when a few drops of milk splashed onto her shoes. “I have to say, you’re not at all like I imagined.”

Cutter glared at the woman, and then threw the damp paper towels in the direction of the sink before sitting down.

“Why don't you stop talking in riddles and tell me exactly why you're here, before I call the police.”

Dr Morgan smiled. “Why, Professor Cutter, that's the first interesting thing you've said so far.”

Cutter reminded himself that he couldn't strike the woman, no matter how much he might feel like it.

“What do you know about stem cells?”

“Stem cells?” Cutter echoed, totally wrong-footed. “I don't really have much to do with them. I know they can be used to cure diseases, but it's hardly my area.”

“Perhaps I should explain.”

“If it's not too much trouble,” Cutter muttered under his breath.

“I work for a...pharmaceutical company...and we work with stem cells. I work in the animal section.”

Cutter nodded. “You use pig's blood, don't you?”

Dr Morgan pursed her lips. “Perhaps these will help,” she said. She unfastened the top two buttons of her overcoat and in a movement that had Cutter's brow furrowing more and more she drew out a folder and passed it over to him.

Curious, Cutter opened the file and then froze, staring at the first picture. He then hurriedly flicked through the others, becoming increasingly alarmed.

“They look prehistoric, don't they? I thought you’d be able to identify them. Can you?”

“Yes,” Cutter said. “I think I can.”

“Oh, good,” Dr Morgan said, although her tone suggested the opposite. “In that case I'd like to assure you that this wasn't my idea.”

“What wasn't?” Cutter demanded. But Dr Morgan just shook her head. Before Cutter could ask any more questions, a loud bang startled him and he rose to his feet, only to find armed men dressed in black entering his front and back doors.

“What are you doing?” Cutter asked, but a hand with a cloth in it was quickly put over his mouth and even though he tried to struggle, his body finally succumbed and the world turned black.

**Location: St Pancras International**

“I've been thinking,” Connor said. He stood next to Abby at the back of their car, watching as Abby unpacked their tranquilliser guns.

“Dangerous, that,” Danny interrupted, sliding in between Abby and Connor to grab a gun and patting it gently.

“Thinking about what, Connor?” Abby said, ignoring Danny.

“Well, um, you know...” He glanced over at Danny but he'd now moved over to greet Jenny who had just arrived, and was hopefully out of earshot. “Moving our relationship up to the next level.”

Abby froze before slowly locking the car door. “Our relationship?” She chanced a quick glance at Connor. “I wasn't aware that we had one.”

Connor's face fell for a moment before he tried to mask his hurt. “Well I mean, you know, we had that date...”

Abby's brow furrowed. “We went out as friends, Connor, I though you knew that.”

“But we're not just going to be friends, are we, though?”

Abby looked anywhere but at Connor's face. “Now's not the time, okay? Later.” And she hurried off to catch up with Jenny and Danny.

Connor was about to join them when the ground started to vibrate and before he knew what was happening, hundreds of people were running down the steps towards them. He tried to make his way across to the others, but there were too many people in the way.

“Connor! Connor!” Abby screamed, but Connor soon lost sight of her as he was forced up against the wall by the surge of people. He had no idea what they were running away from, but when he heard the roar of a creature up ahead, he feared the worst. And then when he saw that some of the people hurrying out were covered in blood, he fumbled quickly for his radio. They needed back-up, and they needed it now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Location: The Future**

It didn't take long for Stephen to lose Dr Jin. The fake psychologist obviously knew his way around the catacombs a lot better than he did, and even the other Stephen was struggling.

“Stop, stop,” Stephen said eventually, panting as he leaned against one of the metallic walls. “We'll never find him this way.”

“You thought about what you're going to do when we do find him?”

Stephen looked at the other Stephen and had that strange feeling again of looking into a mirror and having a Dali painting look right back at him.

“I can't keep calling you...What do I call you?” Stephen amended quickly, realising that the man before him was only ever “other Stephen” in his head and not out loud.

Other Stephen's lips twitched, as if he knew exactly what Stephen was thinking. The certainty that he did was a bit too much for Stephen to deal with right then.

“Hart,” other Stephen said. “You can just call me Hart. It's what everyone else does.”

“Your friends?”

“People that know me,” Hart replied. 

Any other time and in any other circumstances, Stephen might have wanted to hear more about the life of his not quite twin, but right now he couldn't afford that luxury.

“I just want to find out why he did this. What the end game is.”

Hart looked at him and shrugged. “Maybe this is the end game, have you considered that? You could be the world's very first super soldier.”

Stephen gave a bitter laugh. “And do what? Take over the world with my predator minions?”

Hart opened his mouth to respond, but then froze as the familiar snick of claws against metal reverberated towards their position.

“Looks like some of those minions have come to see their master,” Hart said. 

Stephen glared at Hart and then closed his eyes, trying to reach out to the predators with his mind. It only ever worked sporadically, he never wanted to know just how easily he could control the creatures if he fully opened up that part of himself.

But beggars couldn't be choosers. This was the way he was now, perhaps it was time to embrace it after all.

“Whatever you're doing, keep doing it,” Hart whispered. “They don't seem to be paying me much attention.”

Curious, Stephen opened his eyes, and immediately wished that he hadn't. He and Hart were surrounded by the future predators who had come along both sides of the corridor, very effectively cutting off any possible escape route.

“Now what?” Hart asked, edging a bit closer to Stephen.

“Find Jin,” Stephen said. He ignored the Abby-like voice in his head that told him he should just come home and forget about it all.

The creatures turned as one to look at Stephen and then seemed to bow before scuttling off in the direction Jin had headed. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Hart asked. “Maybe you should head back and I'll take it from here.”

“Why would you want to do that?” Stephen asked. 

Hart shrugged. “I don’t have anybody waiting for me.”

Stephen frowned. “You have no one at all?”

“Not since Helen took me...” Hart couldn't find the words to explain exactly what Helen had been to him, their experience had been as combatants and his hatred for Helen ran deeper than Stephen could possibly imagine, even after all the damage she had caused.

“Helen...I'm not sure Helen was in her right mind a lot of the time. She got so fixated on the idea that humanity was destroying the planet...”

“Which it did. In my time at least,” Hart interrupted. 

Stephen shook his head. “It doesn’t mean we should be exterminating the entire human race. They need educating...”

“Sounds like a speech you've made before.”

“Once or twice,” Stephen admitted. “But the others were right about keeping the anomalies secret – it's too dangerous for everyone to know. I'm not sure humanity as a whole can be trusted.”

“Very cynical,” Hart replied. “I'm sure Helen would approve.”

Stephen glanced at Hart and then away again. “Come on, we need to keep close to the predators.”

* * * * * 

It was hard for them to tell how far they travelled underground and impossible to tell how large the complex in its entirety was. There were no other signs of life; each time one of them peered into an office they found it empty. Most of them looked like they had been abandoned in a hurry, which didn’t bode well for any of them. 

Stephen took the lead, with Hart seemingly happy to follow. Occasionally he would disappear off into a side room but he always came back after ten or so minutes. Stephen gave up trying to question him after the second time, but grew more curious after the fourth disappearance when Hart returned with a backpack. But Hart didn’t tell him what he was up to, and somehow Stephen felt that he shouldn’t ask.

* * * * *

The group of predators they were following began to thin until there was only one left. Stephen thought of him as their leader but he had no real way of knowing what kind of titles they gave to themselves. 

The predator stepped outside a closed door and looked at Stephen. It was strange, the connection he had with those creatures. The communication between them wasn't in words, but more in shapes and colours. Sometimes it was almost as if he could see through the predators eyes.

“This looks like the Control Room,” Hart said, breaking Stephen's concentration. “I can't see Jin though.”

“I don't think that's why we were brought here,” Stephen said. He saw Hart turn to face him, but it was like looking at him through a watery reflection and everything was becoming unclear.

“Stephen? Stephen, are you all right?”

When Stephen didn't answer Hart slapped him, hard, across the face. 

Stephen quickly blinked awake and found himself leaning against the side of the future predator for support. 

“I don't...I don't know what happened.”

Hart harrumphed unhappily. “Really?”

Stephen shot him an angry look, but Hart turned away and started to open the door in front of them.

“The sooner we finish this, the sooner you get to go home,” Hart said.

“Finish what exactly?”

“These experiments. This future. Jin.” He patted his backpack. “It was nice knowing you, Stephen.”

Hart stepped through the door and slammed it shut, locking it from the other side. Stephen ran up to it and started to pull at the door handle before smacking his hand against the glass port hole. He tried not to think about how familiar this scene was. Would he never be able to forget?

“Don't do this, Hart! This isn't why we came here.”

“Maybe you believe that, but I don't.” Hart pulled some explosives from his backpack and showed them to Stephen. “This is _exactly_ why I came here.”

Stephen watched with mounting horror as Hart moved around the room, planting explosives. By the looks of the computers and the sheer scale of the room Stephen would bet that this was the technological hub of Jin's whole project, and one glance towards the future predator confirmed it.

“Can you get the door open?” Stephen asked the predator.

The creature responded by lying down, its head resting on its front feet. Stephen decided to take that as an indication that he could, he just wasn't about to.

“Get out of there, Stephen!” Hart yelled. “You won't have much time.”

Stephen cursed, but knew that talking Hart out of it wasn't an option; they were both too stubborn for that. 

So he did they only thing he could, he turned and ran.


	3. Chapter 3

**Location: The ARC**

“Captain Becker to the Atrium. Captain Becker to the Atrium.” 

Becker looked up in surprise and exchanged a worried look with Lucas North as Lorraine Wickes' voice came over the intercom system. Normally the calmest person in the building, Becker could just detect the first hints of panic in her tone. 

“I should...” Becker said to Lucas, waving towards the door. 

Lucas nodded. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Becker slid out of the door and Lucas turned back to focus on Anatoly. “So, you were saying?”

Anatoly sighed. “Surely it is time for us to have a break, yes? We have been here for many hours and I am tired.”

Lucas' expression didn't waver. “You were saying?”

Anatoly crossed his arms. “Can I at least call my wife to let her know I am all right?”

“Your wife is aware of your current situation,” Lucas replied. “Now tell me what you know about Banyon.”

“I have told you everything that I know, I swear. And I told the Russian authorities the same thing. I came here to help you, because I feel...responsible...for what happened to your Stephen Hart. But I cannot tell you what I do not know. We were all fooled by him. His experiments with the Echolocators were...” He paused and tried to grapple with the words he needed – his English had improved greatly and he was somewhat amused to think that this was because of Lucas' interrogation. “They were revolutionary. He wanted to use them to create super soldiers but myself and some of my colleagues, we had different applications in mind. Think of the diseases that could be cured. The operations that would be made unnecessary if only we could apply the knowledge we gained from the creatures. Can't you see what an amazing project we thought we were working on?”

“And in your opinion that far outweighed the risks? Meddling with time?” 

Anatoly looked down at his hands as they splayed before him on the desk. “I thought so. I see that I was wrong, but at the time...” He trailed off and looked towards Lucas, but he knew he would get no sympathy from that quarter.

Lucas made a show of consulting the folder in front of him. “The Russian government has granted us permission to keep you here indefinitely. Apparently they're shutting down their own anomaly project.”

Anatoly jerked in his seat. He'd suspected as much, but to hear it said out loud. “But they can't...”

“The military will be taking over fully. All creature incursions are to be met with deadly force. No more experiments are going to be sanctioned.” Lucas allowed himself a small smile. “At least officially. It seems like a golden age of cooperation is just out of reach.”

Anatoly hunkered down in his seat at the stare Lucas gave him. He knew from some snatches of conversations that he'd overheard that Lucas had been in a Russian prison, so he could understand some of the hostility that was aimed his way, even if he didn't feel he deserved the full weight of it. He had, after all, asked for their help and given his own in return.

 **Location: The Atrium**

“Did Connor say what it was?” Becker was asking Lorraine as Lester appeared beside him. 

“No,” Lorraine said, not looking away from her computer screen. “Just that there were injured people. The anomaly looks like it opened at the Eurostar terminal.”

“Just what we need,” Lester muttered, “the bloody French getting involved.”

Becker ignored him. “Have two teams meet me there. And call Cutter.” He looked at Lester. “I think we'll need him on this one.”

Lester was nodding even as Lorraine was shaking her head. “What?” Lester asked her. 

“I've been trying to get hold of Cutter. But he's not answering his house phone or his mobile.”

Becker sighed. “He's probably asleep. I'll swing by his place on the way.”

“Need any help?” Lucas asked from the doorway. Considering Lester knew for a fact that the man had hardly had any sleep in the last two days, he looked remarkably alert and pristine. He'd have to get him to give Cutter some tips. 

“Sure,” Becker said, “it might take two of us to rouse Cutter, especially if he's had a scotch or two.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “I hadn't realised things had got that bad.”

Becker sighed as he passed him. “It hasn't. Not really. But Stephen's disappearance...”

“I want to help too,” Sarah said. She'd been sitting quietly in the corner – so quietly in fact that the others had all but forgotten about her. “I know I haven't been in the field much...”

“You handled yourself perfectly fine when you were,” Becker interrupted, gifting her with a rare smile. “And something tells me we're going to need all hands on deck. Is your research interruptible?”

“Honestly,” Sarah said, looking down at the stack of books Cutter had left her with, “I'm not really sure what the Professor expected me to find here.” She shrugged a little helplessly. “I feel like I've been running in theoretical circles all morning.”

“Then what you need is some fresh air,” Lucas said, holding out his hand to Sarah and helping her to stand. She flushed and straightened her skirt while Becker rolled his eyes. 

“Come on, then,” Becker said. 

“Just keep me informed,” Lester said. He watched the three of them leave and then looked over at Lorraine. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You do?” Lorraine asked. 

Lester shook himself. “I'm probably just...” He stared hard at Lorraine. “Don't we have interviews this morning for your assistant?”

“Yes, we do,” Lorraine said, taking her cue; clearly Lester wasn't going to share his thoughts with her just yet. She'd get it out of him later. “The first one's already in the waiting room. Jess Parker.”

“Right, well, let's get started then, the others know what they're doing.” If Lester's words belied his worried expression, well, Lorraine wasn't going to mention it.

**Location: Cutter's House**

“Which house is Cutter's?” Sarah asked as the three of them pulled up outside a row of smart looking town houses. 

“My guess would be that one,” Lucas said. He got out of the car and nodded towards a house with the front door wide open. 

“Dammit,” Becker cursed, pulling his gun from its holster and waving at Sarah to stay where she was. He ran across the road, eyes alert to anything and everything that might appear out of place. He motioned for Lucas to inspect the equipment some workmen seemed to have left behind, while he headed inside. 

Eyes focused on everything at once, Becker checked each room carefully – there was no telling what he might find within, whether creature or human. The only sign of disturbance he could find on the ground floor was in the kitchen – a knocked over chair, some spilled milk, the back door wide open. 

“Anything?” Lucas asked from the doorway. 

“No. You?”

“Whoever those “workmen” were they left in a hurry. There's some pretty high tech stuff left behind, including some monitoring equipment.”

“Monitoring?” Becker repeated. “Ours?”

“Not Five's and it doesn't look like Six's or the Russians either. I'd say we'd got a new player in town.”

Becker looked around the room, willing himself to be mistaken. But it seemed all too obvious what had happened here. “Who the hell would want to kidnap Cutter?”

Lucas shrugged. “Until we get a ransom demand, we might never find out. But I'm guessing they weren't after his fortune.”

Becker sighed and walked past Lucas. “I'm going to check upstairs, just in case. Can you let Sarah know what's going on?” 

“And Lester?” Lucas asked. 

“I'll make that call,” Becker replied. He was after all in charge of security. Of keeping the team safe. And he was really getting fed up with feeling like he was destined for failure. 

Though he imagined once Lester had killed him, that would be the least of his problems.

**Location: Unknown**

> “Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth.”

Cutter tried to make sense of the words, but everything was a jumbled mess of sound.

> ”Under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions.”

Cutter knew that he was supposed to be taking in the information he could hear, that mass of sound he recognised as a recording, but still his head ached too much for the words to sink in.

> ”Given their unique regenerative abilities, stem cells offer new potentials for treating diseases such as diabetes, and heart disease.”

There was something there though, something niggling at the back of his mind. A clue, a thought, a memory. Flashes of light startled him and he realised that once he had been lying down, but now he was moving, moving upright. 

His vision started to clear. He was in a room. A hospital room. On a bed. He was lying on a bed. And his hands were tied to the bed. Why were his hands tied? What had happened? Who had done this?

“Oh, Professor, you're awake. How was your first lesson?”

“My f-” Cutter stopped and choked, his mouth too dry. The doctor moved forward and gave him some ice chips that sent a soothing coolness down his throat. And gave him a moment to catch his breath.

“Don't worry, it's all inside of you, just waiting to get out.” The woman's face came into sharp focus once more as she leaned forward, a loose strand of her hair tickling Cutter's cheek. He remembered now. He remembered everything. 

“Dr Morgan? What the hell are you doing?” Cutter tugged at his restraints, feeling better now that the throbbing in his head had started to lessen.

“Are you not enjoying your instruction?” Dr Morgan said in way of reply. She straightened up and motioned towards a row of televisions set up in front of Cutter, and the two large speakers at either side of the room. A deep chill went down Cutter's spine as one of them showed a future predator, sitting perfectly contentedly as it was fed scraps of food by a man dressed in a white coat. 

“Instruction in what, exactly?”

“Our research. So many applications. After all, you've experienced the benefit of just what our work can achieve yourself.”

Cutter blinked at her. 

“Dear me, with Stephen. He was put back together through the use of stem cells from the Echolocators, among other things. We're just expanding on the work of our future selves.” She smiled. “It's so very confusing, isn't it dear?” She patted his cheek and Cutter wrestled even more with his restraints. 

“This is – I don't – I don't know what you think you’re doing,” Cutter said, rage making his vision blur again. 

Dr Morgan just shook her head at him. “The Echolocator programme is fully operational, Professor. Though your expertise will be invaluable in ironing out a few, minor, hiccups.”

Cutter scowled at her, then her words truly sank in. “Echolocators? That's what you call them?”

“That's their name, yes.” 

“Tell me Dr Morgan, have you ever been to Russia?”

“Been there?” Dr Morgan said, “why Professor Cutter, what makes you think we aren't there right now?”

Cutter looked around the room as if the décor could tell him whether or not she was lying. “But, I can't have been out for that long.”

“Can't you?” Morgan asked. “Well, time is relative, after all. And speaking of time, it's about time for your next session, I think.”

“My wh-” But before Cutter could argue Dr Morgan was pushing a needle into a vein in his arm, and he was drifting...

> ”Donated organs and tissues are often used to replace ailing or destroyed tissue, but the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply”.

…drifting on a cloud and then...

> ”Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues.”

...he was falling, falling down into nothing.

**Location: St Pancras International**

Connor tried futilely to push his way through the screaming crowds of people, but it was no good, they were too strong and far too many in number. Instead he let himself go with the flow, further and further away from Abby and the others. He almost fell backwards down some stairs but managed to navigate himself around a corner, which provided him with a bit more safety from the buffeting crowd. At least he'd managed to get hold of the ARC – the others would be here soon and they'd have the crowd under control in no time.

It was when Connor was scanning the crowd, trying to find a way through that he saw it. The shards of light reflected against the tiled floor that meant only one thing – an anomaly. 

“There can't be two of them,” Connor said, though it was more like a whispered prayer. He'd thought the creatures were up the top, near the Eurostar terminal, but if there was another anomaly down here...

“Hey, wait!” Connor shouted. A small boy, not more than 7 years old, was running straight for the anomaly. “You can't go through there!” Connor shouted, but to no avail. The boy turned at Connor's cry and then carried on running at and then through the anomaly. Connor swore under his breath. There was nothing for it then, he would have to go through. But first...

“Hey, Abby! Anyone?” he shouted into his radio. 

“Connor, Connor are you all right?” Abby cried. 

“Yeah, um, fine. Look is there an anomaly near you? 'Cause there's one down here.”

“Two anomalies?” Jenny's alarmed voice came over the radio. “How is that possible?”

“No idea,” Connor said. “Look, um, a kid just went through this one so um...”

“No, Connor, you can't!” Abby told him. “Wait for back-up.”

“But they might be ages yet, and he's only a kid, Abby. I'll be fine. I know how to look after myself.”

“Connor!” Abby shouted, but Connor tuned her out. He'd said he was doing it now, so that meant he had to. He couldn't go back on his word. 

Stephen would go through. 

And so Connor did. 

**Location: Upstairs in St Pancras International**

“Stupid, stubborn, brave,” Abby muttered under her breath. She stared uselessly at the radio in her hand, but she knew that that wouldn't bring Connor back. He was on his own now.

“He'll be fine,” Danny said, patting Abby on the shoulder. “And besides, I think we've got bigger problems.” They both turned to look at the creature that was barrelling along the train station, its tail taking out the front windows of several shops and a café. “Any one care to guess what the hell that thing is?”

Jenny consulted her iPad and the database Connor had installed on it. “As far as I can make out it's an Albertosaurus. Late Cretaceous. Meat eater.”

“Of course it is,” Danny muttered under his breath. “Brilliant. Any signs of the anomaly?”

Jenny shook her head. “It must be down there somewhere.” 

“How are we going to get that thing back through an anomaly?”

“Tempt it with meat?” Abby suggested. “One of these restaurants is bound to have some we can use.” 

“Worth a shot, I guess,” Danny said. “You and Jenny do that, I'll find the anomaly.”

“No,” Jenny said, moving to stand in front of him. “Abby can do that and I'll come with you.”

Danny pursed his lips, looking as if he was about to argue. Then he shrugged and grinned. “What ever you say, ma'am,” he replied, putting on an American accent. 

Jenny rolled her eyes and nodded at Abby. “You be careful. Back-up won't be long now...in fact they ought to be here by now.”

“I'll give them another ring,” Abby promised, fishing out her phone from the back of her jeans pocket. “Lester will be tearing his hair out by now, anyway.”

**Location: The ARC**

“Excuse me,” Lester said to the young brunette with the short dress who was enthusiastically exchanging undecipherable words with Lorraine. “I have to take this.” He headed out of the interview room with his phone in his hand, the gibberish of computer speak and something to do with a cloud and data that he really didn't understand, echoing in his head. Lorraine seemed happy enough though, so presumably the girl knew what she was talking about. 

“What?” Lester asked. 

“We have a problem sir,” Becker said. “It seems Cutter may have got himself kidnapped.” There was a long pause during which Lester just stared blankly at the wall in front of him. “Sir? Did you hear?”

“Yes. I heard you. We'll just add incompetence to your many talents, shall we Captain Becker?” Becker made no reply. “You have one hour to find him or you can hand in your notice.” Wishing that he was cradling his office phone rather than his mobile so that he could slam it down with a reassuring crunch, Lester hung up. 

He didn’t even have time to finish the walk to his office when his phone rang again. It was Abby this time. 

“What can I do for you Miss Maitland?”

“Just wondering where the back-up is. We could do with it, sooner rather than later.” In the background he could hear smashing of glass and the unmistakable roar of a dinosaur. 

“Captain Becker's been waylaid on another matter. I'll see that the rest of his team are there as soon as possible.”

“Thanks!” Abby shouted, before hanging up. 

Lester sighed and turned around. “LORRAINE!” he shouted at the top of his voice. Lorraine came scuttling around the corridor, slowly followed by the curious interviewee. “Get back-up to the team's location. I'm going to question the prisoner.”

“Prisoner?” he heard the girl squawk, but he paid her no mind, trusting that Lorraine would deal with her. That was at least one problem he could fob off on to someone else. 

**Location: The ARC – Interrogation Room 1**

Anatoly was lying with his head on his forearms, apparently asleep on the table. For a moment Lester even envied him. Then he remembered that Lucas North would get the truth out of him if Lester himself couldn't, and that was enough to make him very glad that he was Lucas' boss, of sorts. 

He sat down opposite Anatoly and deliberately scraped the chair against the floor. Anatoly jumped up as if he'd been shot. 

“Oh, Mr Lester. You frightened me.”

“Professor Cutter has been kidnapped.” 

Anatoly's mouth dropped open. “By whom?” 

“I was rather hoping that you would tell me.” 

Anatoly started shaking his head before Lester had even finished. “No, no, you must believe me. There is no possibility that my comrade’s are involved. We wouldn’t...what would be the purpose?”

“What would be the purpose indeed?” Lester asked. “I sometimes find myself asking that question at the most inopportune moments. What is any of this for, after all? Time, space. It doesn't really mean the same as it used to, does it?” Lester stared at Anatoly but Anatoly refused to be cowed. “If I find that you or your country has been responsible for this I shall have no hesitation in leaving Mr North alone in a room with you until you're confessing that black is white.” 

Anatoly visibly shuddered at Lester's tone, but kept his chin held high. “We did not do this.”

Lester abruptly stood and left the room without another word. Much as he might hate the fact, he actually believed the man. Which meant that somewhere, out there, were more people who knew about the anomalies and how valuable Cutter was to the project. There would be no other reason for taking him. He only hoped that Cutter proved helpful rather than his usual annoying self, or they very well might never see him again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Location: Somewhere, Some Time**

“Hey!” Connor shouted, “hey, slow down!” But the little boy in front of him just kept barrelling along, kicking up sand and dirt as he ran. Connor coughed and put his hand over his mouth, trying to get his bearings and work out where they were, and if anything looked like it was about to eat them, but multi-tasking had never been Connor's strong suit; it wasn't long before he was tripping over his own feet and tumbling to the ground. 

He cursed, loudly, then looked around for the little boy, hoping that he hadn't heard. He picked himself off, dusted himself down and wiped as much mud as streaks of blood on to his trousers. The cut to his hand wasn't very deep, but it was bleeding quite a bit. 

“Perfect,” Connor muttered. 

“Want my Mummy,” the little boy said and Connor looked up to see that he had slowly walked back by himself, tears streaming down his face. 

“Hey,” Connor said softly, kneeling down to look the little boy in the face. “You okay?”

The little boy sniffled and shook his head, then wiped his runny nose on his sleeve. Connor smiled, then frowned, thinking that the little boy's mum probably wouldn’t appreciate that. 

“Let's get you home then, okay?” 

The little boy nodded and held out his hand. Connor took it and then stood up and turned away. 

“Oh my,” Connor murmured. He'd been expecting many things, but not this. Desert stretched for miles behind him but in front of him, in front of him it was just as if he'd stepped into Metropolis. A futuristic city spanned the horizon, steel skyscrapers soaring up so high that they disappeared into the clouds. The anomaly twinkled just to his right but it took him a moment to remember that he was supposed to be heading towards it. 

“You might want to send the kid through, his mum'll be missing him.”

Connor's heart seemed to freeze within him, before he was turning around in such a rush that the little boy tripped and fell to the floor and started wailing. 

“Stephen?” Connor gasped, then realised what he'd done. “Oh, shit, no, fudge. Um, shush, it's okay, there there.” Connor tried to pat at the boy's shoulder, but he didn't seem in the least bit interested any more. 

Stephen shook his head, picked up the boy and gently deposited him on the other side of the anomaly, whispering to him to go find his mum. 

“Honestly Connor, do you never change?”

“One constant in the universe, me,” Connor said with a beaming smile. Then he launched himself at Stephen, hugging the almost life out of him. And, if Connor wasn't mistaken, Stephen was hugging him back just as fiercely. 

Then, with a manly slap on the back, Stephen took a step back. 

“What are you doing here?” Connor asked. “I mean, where is here?”

“The future. Or, one of them at least. A better one than before, I think. Though it's a little hard to tell these days.”

“And the, the other Stephen?”

Stephen’s face darkened. _Explosions and guns and searing heat. The end of time. Broken decisions and confused minds. Sorry. So very, very sorry._

“That's a tale for another day,” Stephen said and Connor knew not to push it. “How about we go home?”

Connor nodded dumbly. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask, but his relief at seeing Stephen had made him tongue-tied. 

And as Stephen stepped through the anomaly, back to the 21st century, Connor couldn't help but notice the way that Stephen's shirt rode up a little, revealing a smooth back, where previously there'd been scars, and more questions sprung to mind, threatening to overwhelm him. 

After all, how did he know that this Stephen, was _their_ Stephen? 

“Connor, come on!” Stephen shouted and Connor had no choice but to follow; he certainly didn’t want to get stuck in the future. Though stuck in the present wasn't looking like much of a picnic, either. 

**Location: St Pancras International**

One of the things that Abby quite liked about the anomalies, but which she'd never, ever, admit to the others, was the opportunity it provided to sneak around places you’d never find yourself otherwise. It wasn't much fun when you were running for your life, of course, but afterwards, when the clear-up was happening, she sometimes pretended that she was the only one there and whatever building or office or castle they were in was hers and hers alone. It was only a fleeting moment, a grounding moment in her hectic life, but she relished them all the same. 

Not that she really wanted to be totally alone. Not always. Not _permanently._ It would just be nice every so often to have a space that was totally hers, and totally different to how she normally imagined herself. 

“Come on, Abby,” she muttered to herself, “let's get a grip.”

She ducked under the counter at one of the restaurants and began to pile fresh meat onto one of the metal serving trays. There was a sound just outside and she gave the area a quick glance, calculating nearby implements that could be turned into weapons and the relative time she could reach each one. Using her gun was always a last resort.

Another noise and this time she felt a presence nearby. With barely any hesitation Abby twisted around and punched her assailant as hard as she could.

“Whoa, Abby!” “Ow!” “Stephen!” The three of them all cried out at once and then Abby was launching herself at Stephen, who only just had the chance to make sure he didn’t get another blow to his nose. 

“Are you all right?” Abby asked into Stephen's neck, clinging on for dear life. 

“He'd probably be better if he could breathe,” Connor pointed out, face lighting up in amusement. “And if you hadn't just punched him in the face.”

“Oh, right, sorry,” Abby said. She stepped back and gave a small smile. “You did sneak up on me though.”

“Yeah,” Stephen replied. He gingerly prodded at his nose and apparently decided that it wasn't broken. “Sorry about that.”

“Don't I get a hug too?” Connor asked. Abby rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek which had him turning a delightful shade of red. 

“What's going on?” Stephen asked, motioning with his head to the chaotic sounds outside. 

“Albertosaurus,” Abby said. She started to pick up the meat tray she'd already prepared. “Thought we'd lure it out with this.”

Stephen nodded appraisingly. “Good an idea as any.”

Abby smiled at him, and then flinched at the sounds of breaking glass outside. “Come on, Danny and Jenny sound like they could do with a hand.”

“No Cutter?” Stephen asked as he followed her, another tray of meat in his hands. 

Abby shook her head. “Took the day off....Yeah, I know,” she replied to Stephen's incredulous expression. “He took your disappearance pretty hard.”

Stephen nodded but before he could say anything he, Abby and Connor were hitting the floor, the large Albertosaurus' tail swinging round and just missing them. Danny and Jenny came running round the corner, following it and then ducking themselves as the creature's massive tail swung in their direction this time. 

“We've got a problem!” Danny shouted. 

“No kidding,” Connor muttered from where he was still lying on the floor, Stephen's hand on his back keeping him firmly in place. 

“Another predator?” Abby asked, trying to work out why else the Albertosaurus would be panicking so much. 

“Another anomaly,” Jenny said. “Nothing's come through yet, but it rattled the others. We need to fall back till we can safely get close enough to close it...but I don't know what to do about them.”

The first Albertosaurus had now joined up with its mate and they nuzzled together before turning their eyes on the humans who were all still lying spread-eagled on the floor. 

“This a moment to stay still, or run like hell?” Danny asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“They're slowish on their feet,” Connor said. 

Danny shrugged. “I'll take slowish over getting eaten any day of the week. Run!”

They all did as he said, jumping to their feet and moving as quickly as they could, down the concourse and towards Kings Cross station. 

They finally slid to a halt and took shelter just before the ticket machines; the place had an eerie feeling, without the usual crowds, and with bags and coats left where their owners had dropped them. It was then that Abby noticed that Connor had been bleeding and started to fashion a bandage out of a discarded scarf, taking no notice of Connor's attempts to pull his hand away. 

“Where the hell is our backup?” Jenny snapped. “We can't handle these on our own. You did get through to them, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Abby said. “Lester said they'd be here soon.”

“The thing we need to do,” Danny said, a speculative look on his face, “is to level the playing field.”

“And just how exactly are we supposed to do that?” Jenny asked, hands on hips. 

Danny grinned. “Well, I’ve always fancied being a train driver.”

“You're not serious?” Stephen asked. Surely even Danny wouldn't attempt something so crazy.

Danny just grinned some more. “Come on, you got a better idea, Mr Just-Returned-From-The-Future?” 

Stephen just stared at Danny and despite himself he started to smile back. “You have got to be the maddest person I've ever met.”

“And what exactly do you know about driving a train?” Jenny asked. “It's not like you can just touch a button, and go.”

“Actually, it probably is...” Connor began, but then shut his mouth firmly as Jenny gave him one of _those_ glares. 

“Listen, you can hear that some of the trains still have their engines running...” Danny began.

“You can't possibly hear a train from down here.”

“All right, no, but I bet Wonder Boy here can.”

Stephen shrugged. “He's right, there are engine sounds up there. Among other things."

"See," Danny said. "I really think this is the best chance we've got. We don't have to try and kill them, just cause them to get panicked enough so that they go back through the anomaly on their own.”

“Then we close the anomalies,” Abby added. “Starting with the one Connor went through. It's the best solution all round, Jenny.”

“I want a job where I'm not surrounded by mad people,” Jenny said to the ceiling, before turning an assessing gaze on Danny. “All right, Mr Quinn, you are officially authorised to steal a train.”

“You won't regret it,” Danny said, planting a quick kiss atop Jenny's head. Startled, Jenny couldn’t do anything but watch as Danny headed back up the stairs towards the train tracks. 

“Well,” Jenny said to the others, “what are you waiting for? Go after him.”

“What about you?” Stephen asked. 

“I'll make sure back-up know where to bring the body-bags.”

Stephen almost cracked a smile at Jenny's attempt at humour. “Fair enough. I'll keep an eye on the misfits.”

“You do that,” Jenny said. She stepped quickly forward then and, hesitantly, gave Stephen a hug. “And then when this particular crisis is over, you've got some explaining to do.”

Stephen turned sombre, not a very long task. “I know. I will, honestly. Just. It's not quite time yet.”

“I'm getting fed up of dealing with time, too,” Jenny said.

Stephen shrugged and then ran after the others. 

Jenny pulled her jacket around her, feeling a sudden chill in the air. She assumed at first that it was just the adrenaline rush dying down and the fact that Kings Cross in its sterile silence was a creepy place, that _felt_ like it ought be cold and damp. 

And then she spotted the polar bear.


	5. Chapter 5

**Location: Previously, In The Future**

Stephen had run as fast as he could, trying not to imagine what was happening to his other self. He slipped down through, he hoped, the way they had come up until he was in what appeared to be a bunker. It was very much like the bunkers he'd seen in war documentaries. A little investigation proved that he was right, as there were bottles of water, one of which he snagged for himself, and various boxes of what looked like food, though they were packaged up the same way that soldiers rations were. 

Another set of boxes had weapons and he spent a good few minutes going through them, checking for ammunition, and acquiring a pistol and a large knife with a serrated edge. Even as he felt the weight of the gun in his hand, he wasn't sure whether he could actually go through with using it against another human being. 

He was distracted from his maudlin thoughts by the crescendo of colour in his peripheral vision which indicated the future predators around him were alarmed and scared. He wished that he could do something to help them, but they should never have existed in the first place; his sympathy for their plight didn’t mean they deserved to survive did it? 

He closed his eyes briefly; he knew the same could be said for himself. 

There was a clink and then scrape of metal and Stephen realised with a start that someone, or something, was opening up the trapdoor above him. He shifted into a dark corner, thankful that his newly improved eyesight meant he could see just as well in the dark as he could in the light. He held the gun tightly in his hand, and sent out waves of curiosity – if it was a future predator then it probably meant him no harm. 

But no, it was Jin. Or rather it was Banyon. Better that he should think of him as Banyon the stranger, rather than Jin the confidante.

Stephen felt a surge of rage travel through him, his vision clouding red as he imagined snapping Banyon's neck and using his teeth to rip at Banyon's flesh. 

His stomach rolled in protest and he gasped out loud, pushing the visions of Banyon's death out of his mind. They weren’t his. They were what the future predators were planning on doing, if they were given the chance. 

“Who is it?” Banyon shouted into the dark. “Who is there?” He fumbled around for a few seconds in a panic as he tried to find the light switch. “I'm armed!”

But Stephen could see that was a lie. All Banyon had in his hands was a book. His jacket was gone, his shirt a mess, his tie loose around his neck. He looked like he'd been fighting and as Stephen looked closer he could see the tell-tale signs of grazing against his knuckles. 

He wondered who was left to fight with Banyon. And why the explosion he had been waiting for had so far failed to materialise. 

Finally Banyon found the light switch and Stephen blinked a few times to get used to the light before he stepped forward, pointing his gun directly at Banyon's heart. 

“Tell me why I shouldn’t finish you off right now?” Stephen asked 

Banyon turned towards him, and Stephen could see a bruise was already blooming across Banyon's cheek. 

“Because I'm the only one who can get us out of here.”

Stephen scoffed. “What makes you think I want to get out of here?”

That wrong-footed Banyon, and he frowned. “You don't want to live?”

“Tell me, Dr Banyon, after all our _sessions_ together, why should I want to?”

Banyon seemed to be taking the question seriously and sat down on an upturned box, aware that Stephen was still tracking his every movement. 

“Because you have friends who love you despite what you have become,” Banyon finally replied. “Because the will to live is always stronger than the desire to give up. Because you know that your life can make a difference to millions, while your death will make a difference to only a few. Because you are one of the few people I have ever met who truly learns from their mistakes.”

As Banyon had been talking, Stephen had been lowering his weapon and now he let it dangle from his fingertips. That trust, the bond he'd developed with Banyon was still there. Even though Banyon's side of things had been laden with subterfuge, Stephen had revealed himself and his true feelings in a way he had never done with anyone else, including Cutter and Helen.

“And killing you would be a mistake as well, would it?” Stephen asked. But the anger, that fire that had been burning since he'd found out that his therapy sessions were a lie, that he was _still_ just a lab rat, was slowly dying out. 

“You know it would.”

Banyon was so sure of himself that a few sparks still flared, but Stephen knew he would never be able to face his friends if he committed murder.

“Why? That's all I want to know, why you did it.”

“Because I wanted to learn from you, Stephen. Surely that's the best complement anyone can give?”

Stephen hoped his face showed what little regard he had for Banyon's brand of complement.

“All this trickery, this deception, with me, the ARC, the Russians...What was it all in aid of?”

“Knowledge is the greatest aim of any scientist, isn't it? Past, present, future, we all desire knowledge above all things. And practical knowledge, that is perhaps the rarest form of all. I wanted to see what you could do, if you were as magnificent a specimen as Helen Cutter thought you would be. And I wasn't disappointed. The things you can do Stephen, you haven't even begun to explore them fully. I could help you. Help you unleash that predatory part of you that you keep insisting on burying.”

“You really think that after everything you have done, I would want your help?”

Banyon shrugged and opened up his arms as if to say, “why not?” Stephen shook his head, unable to form all the words that he wanted. There were some people, he knew, that you just could not talk any sense to, some people who it was impossible to get to see another point of view. Helen had been one of them. And clearly Banyon was another. 

“I'll find my own way,” Stephen said, “like I've always done. With the people I love.”

“Will they still love you when they find out everything you are capable of?”

“Yes,” Stephen said, without hesitation. Because he knew, as he supposed he always must have known, that that was true. His friends loved him in spite of all his faults and the mistakes he had made. They believed in him even when he didn't believe in himself. And he would be damned if he was going to let any of them down. 

Banyon looked like he didn't believe a word of it, but Stephen found that he no longer cared. Just like that, the thrall that he thought Banyon had over him had dissipated. It was time he stopped looking towards others for validation and instead found his own way to be happy.

“There's going to be an explosion, any minute now,” Stephen said. He looked up at the ceiling, as if that would help him see the destruction that was about to reign down on them. “My other self is sacrificing himself to stop any more of your experiments.”

Banyon merely smiled and Stephen had a terrible sense of foreboding. 

“Yes. I'm sure all my experiments in this time stream will be completely destroyed. Pity. I had rather grown to like this place, it was so...unpredictable. And I do so enjoy unpredictability.”

Stephen had no time to parse Banyon's words, instead having to defend himself as Banyon launched himself at Stephen, knocking him to the ground. Banyon was reaching for Stephen's neck and the gun, clearly intent on either shooting him or strangling him. Stephen fought back, trying to knee Banyon in the groin but only knocking against one of the scientist's knees. He tried to throw the gun away to the side, but it didn’t go very far, knocking against one of the boxes of weapons. 

Banyon reached for it and Stephen used all his strength to wrestle with Banyon, rolling with him away from the gun. Banyon reacted faster than Stephen would have imagined five minutes ago, and pushed Stephen's jaw up with both hands, trying to knock his head against the box beside them. Stephen let go of Banyon's jacket and held on to his arms, pushing them away from himself. He didn’t want to kill the man he realised, but he would defend himself as much as he was able. 

Banyon succeeded where Stephen had not and managed to knee Stephen in the groin. Stephen let out a sharp exhale but tried to ignore the pain, instead focusing on trying to knock Banyon unconscious. Banyon took advantage of Stephen's momentary distraction to flip them, so he was now on top of Stephen. 

“Goodbye, Stephen,” Banyon said. 

Stephen tried to shake his head but Banyon moved his grip to around Stephen's neck, pressing down hard. Desperate, Stephen reached out his arms, trying to reach the discarded gun. The room wasn’t very large, and they hadn't rolled very far – surely the gun was still within reach. 

Banyon laughed as Stephen's fingers grasped the cold metal and Stephen reached once more, his vision already clouding. 

“You'll never do it,” Banyon chuckled. 

Then the explosion that Stephen had been waiting for rippled through the room. Banyon was knocked flying by boxes as the far wall crumpled inward – not enough to fall completely, but enough to show that it hadn't been designed for that kind of explosion. Stephen tried to regain his breath, rubbing at his neck. Then he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye and saw that Banyon was crawling towards the gun, still intent on killing Stephen. 

Stephen grabbed at Banyon's legs, dragging him across the floor, but Banyon succeeded in twisting around and pointing the gun at Stephen’s chest. Stephen reacted instinctively, hardly aware that the cry had gone out until he saw the shocked look on Banyon's face as a future predator burst through the broken wall and swiped the gun out of his hands. It then grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall where he remained slumped. It went in for the killing blow but Stephen had regained himself enough to command it to stop. 

“I don't want...I don't want that,” Stephen said. 

The predator looked at him as if he were mad, and then sat back on his hunches, as if guarding the body. 

Stephen nodded, both to the creature and to himself and went over to Banyon, to check his pulse. He was still breathing, just, but Stephen didn’t think he had much time left.

Stephen rubbed at his forehead, and realised that he was dripping with sweat. The predator took his other arm and started to pull him away. 

“Now, hang on,” Stephen said, “what are you...”

But whatever connection he and the creature had, Stephen couldn't seem to make himself understood. Or perhaps the predator was just wilfully ignoring him.

The creature insisted on pulling Stephen through the broken wall, its grip firm enough that Stephen couldn't struggle free, but not hard enough to hurt. 

Stephen flinched at the heat of the walls, as the metal everywhere wilted. Predators were tearing down walls and finishing the job that Hart and the explosion had started. Stephen spared a thought for his other self, wondering if his end had been quick. He hoped so. There'd been far too much suffering in both their lives lately. 

“Where are you taking me?” Stephen asked. He wasn't really expecting an answer but the predator paused, pointed with one clawed hand down one of the maze of corridors, and then shoved Stephen in that direction.

“Hey,” Stephen called out, as the predator gave him another shove. “What's down there?” 

“A way out.”

Stephen whirled around to see his twin, Hart, standing in front of him. “But – you – how?”

“Talk later, run now, yes?”

The familiar rumbling of another explosion rippled through the air above them and Stephen nodded. “Right, yes, sounds good.”

And so for the second time that day Stephen found himself running away from an explosion, the only difference being that this time, he wasn't doing it alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Location: The ARC**

Lorraine stared at the readout in front of her, then stared again, and after the tapping of a few keys on her console, stared some more. Her lack of movement was enough to raise several eyebrows in the Atrium – Lorraine was only ever that still in the most dire of situations. 

She slowly picked up the phone next to her and immediately connected to Lester in his office. 

“Sir, I have something you need to see.”

Lester sighed. “Really? You couldn't be mistaken?”

“I'm tracking some anomalies...” Lorraine ploughed on as if he hadn't spoken.

“Some?” Lester said, sitting up straighter in his chair. He'd only been sat down for five minutes, and hadn't even managed a sip of his coffee yet.

“I've – I've never seen anything like this before. Multiple anomalies in the same locations.”

“Are we sure it isn't just some sort of computer glitch?” Lester asked, already mentally preparing for the worst. 

“I've checked and re-checked,” Lorraine replied. She looked up at Lester from her seat, her leg twitching nervously. “I don't know what's causing it, but there's something else...”

Lester took a deep breath. The last time he'd seen Lorraine looking that worried, the ARC was being taken over by armed thugs. 

“Just tell me,” he said. 

Lorraine tapped a few buttons and pointed at the left hand screen. Lester peered in closer, because it seemed the thing to do, even though he could already see what the problem was. 

“How many?” he asked. 

“Six. So far. In the UK.” 

“Six anomalies in the UK,” Lester repeated. “And elsewhere?” 

“One in Paris, at a Metro station near the Opera House. Two in Germany, one in Berlin and one in Nuremberg. One in Beijing, one in Moscow, and two in America – one in Austin, Texas, the other in New York.”

“I see.” Lester took a step back and realised by the silence in the Atrium that all eyes were on him. Never mind the events that the ARC had been called to deal with in the past, never mind the fall of a government, _this_ right now, would be the greatest test his people would ever have to face. And face it with dignity and courage they would. Lester was never so sure of anything as he was in his team at that moment. 

“First,” Lester said, stepping out of his office so that his voice could carrying around the room, “get me Harry Pearce at MI5. Then the Home Secretary. I want teams setting up, each one to take a different country, monitoring progress and trying to find a solution to their problem. If we have to alert the world to our existence and hand out anomaly locking devices to every country on the globe, we will. Lorraine, get someone at the Home Office to start liaising with our counterparts around the globe – we know they have to exist, now's the time to insist that we exchange information.” He waited until Lorraine nodded at the scientists who'd been listening and who then promptly ran off to try and see what they could do. “Before you get Pearce on the phone, let me talk to Becker. He needs to know what's going on and I need a progress update on the Cutter situation. And...”

“..and then you’ll need to talk to Jenny and see how they're doing? And set up a localised team here to try and work out why these anomalies are converging, before you think about helping out the rest of the world?” Lorraine easily interrupted. “I know. I'll get Becker on the line and patch him through to your office. And I'll get someone to send up a fresh cup of coffee.”

She swivelled back around in her chair and began furiously typing at her keyboard. Lester smiled, safe in the knowledge that she couldn’t see him; he really would be completely lost without her.

**Location: Cutter's House**

“Any clues?” Sarah asked. She was standing in the middle of Cutter's kitchen, trying to imagine what had happened to him. It seemed obvious that he'd been making tea, and the two mugs on the table clearly showed that he hadn't been alone. 

“I doubt whoever took him forced him to drink tea at gunpoint, which means he must have known his attacker. That narrows down the list of suspects,” Lucas said. He was walking around the kitchen table, and consequently Sarah, making a mental check-list of everything he could see. “Though, his attacker could have drugged him – why the need for the Ops team outside, the breaking down of the back door, the leaving open of the front door? It's sloppy. Very sloppy.”

Sarah nodded. “It doesn't sound very professional. But then why would anyone take Cutter if they weren't...I don't know, aware of what he was working on at the ARC?”

Lucas stilled. “That’s the only reason he could have been taken?” he asked. “There's nothing else in Cutter's life that would have made him a target?”

“Only Helen. I think.” Sarah shrugged. “I'm not really – I'm new at this, I don't really know the team that well yet.”

Lucas smiled sympathetically. “Don't sell yourself short. They all consider you a full on member of the team.”

“I just...sometimes I just feel like I'm playing at it, you know? I was going to be doing all this research into how anomalies and dinosaurs are linked to our perceptions of Egyptian gods and, well, what do I end up doing but mopping up Cutter's research?”

“Nobody thinks that,” Becker said, entering from the back door. “And we might be in luck. There's been some trouble with kids throwing stones at a house a few doors down. And when the police didn’t seem to be taking them seriously, the owners had cameras installed.”

“They look this way?” Sarah asked. 

Becker nodded. “Yep. And the lady of the house was kind enough to let me see what they recorded this morning.”

“I bet she did,” Lucas said with a lazy grin. “Anything good?”

“A partial number plate and the name of the company supposedly doing work outside. Enough that we should be able to track them down. I'll give Lester a call...” Becker's phone began to ring and he took it out of its holster. “And talk of the devil. Lester, I've got good news...” Becker paused though and the others watched as he took on board whatever Lester was telling him. “I understand, sir. We'll get right on it.”

“What's wrong?” Sarah asked. 

“Multiple anomalies. World-wide this time. The rest of the team's still dealing with the St Pancras incident, as far as they know.”

“As far as - ?” Lucas prompted. 

“They can't get hold of them. Lorraine's sending over some more back-up since the original team hasn't shown up.” Becker sighed. “Whatever the hell is going on, finding Cutter is our main priority. Lester thinks there must be a link between the events. He doesn't believe in coincidences.”

“Neither do I,” Lucas said. “Let me give Tariq a call, get him to do some of his computer wizardry.”

Lucas moved off into the hallway to have his conversation, leaving Becker and Sarah alone. Becker hesitated a moment, awkwardly looking at the mess on the kitchen table before opening his mouth to speak. Sarah beat him to it. 

“Don't even think about it.”

“I'm – what?” Becker asked. 

“I'm not going anywhere.”

“You'd be safer at the ARC.”

“I'm not sure how you work that out. The amount of times the ARC's been overrun I'm surprised it's still standing.”

Becker pursed his lips. Sarah was of course right, but he didn't have to like it. “Fine. But you don't go anywhere alone. These people are dangerous, and no doubt armed. It's my job to keep you safe.”

“It's my job to keep myself safe too,” Sarah said, stepping forward so she could look Becker in the eye. “You can't be everywhere.”

Becker sighed. “Sarah...” Short as their friendship was though, he knew that Sarah was as stubborn as Cutter on his worst day, so trying to convince her not to come with them was a waste of breath. “Fine. But you do as you're told. Save the heroics for Danny.”

Sarah grinned. “I'd never dream of depriving him of his moment in the spotlight.”

**Location: Section D – Thames House**

Tariq was idly sorting through some surveillance footage from a suspected terrorist cell when Ruth indicated he had a call from Lucas. 

“Lucas, how can I help you?”

“I'm sending over some files,” Lucas said, his voice cutting in and out as he moved around Cutter's house, pacing and then pausing to tap away at his tablet. “We need to know where this van came from. Track its movements on CCTV. We need to find Cutter and all likelihood is he got taken in this van.”

Even as Lucas was speaking Tariq was pulling up the emailed files and starting the matching process that would automatically scan London's CCTV network. It wouldn't be quick, but he had a few parameters to narrow it down. He left one window open scanning city wide, then started to focus on areas around Cutter's home, tapping into any video streams that he could access, legally and otherwise. He was vaguely aware of Lucas having hung up on him, but that didn’t matter. His fingers flying over the keyboard, his eyes scanning first one file and then another; this was the kind of thing he was brought into the team to do, and he wouldn’t be letting anyone down, not today. Ruth came over and peered over at his work for a bit, then patted his shoulder and left him to it.

Tariq could hear the chatter of his colleagues in the background, the gathering of information as a well-oiled machine. He heard Harry Pearce too, saying his goodbyes to Ruth and talking about heading over to the ARC, but he'd long learned to drown out any noise that didn't absolutely pertain to what he was doing right then and there. And right then he was focused solely on locating the missing Nick Cutter. 

“Ruth, I've got something!” Tariq called out, as the pictures began to form a pattern he could analyse. Ruth hurried back over to him, peering over his shoulder. She picked up the phone to call Lucas back as Tariq rapidly explained his findings to her. 

They had an address.


	7. Chapter 7

**Location: Previously, in the Future**

“I don't understand,” Stephen said, staring at Hart. “You - “

“Just saved your life?” Hart asked. “Again?” He grinned and Stephen frowned – he couldn’t remember ever actually seeing Hart smile before. “You know your problem, Stephen? Your life doesn't have enough mystery in it.”

Stephen made a face which showed exactly what he thought about that idea. But Hart only grinned again, and Stephen felt a little wrong-footed. 

They were outside of the complex now, future predators disappearing all around them. The building was smoking and all but destroyed. And judging by the explosives Hart was starting to attach to the ruins, it would be completely destroyed very shortly. 

“How did you survive?” Stephen asked. Hart turned to look at him over his shoulder, before sighing and standing up straight. 

“Does it matter?” Stephen just stared at him. “Fine,” Hart continued, “I changed my mind. Is that so wrong?”

Immediately Stephen felt his shoulders relax. He'd been expecting something else, some more self-sacrificing nonsense or a plot that would end up with one or both of them dead. Maybe everything was going to be all right after all. 

**Location: St Pancras International**

Jenny stayed very still. She didn't know much about polar bears. In fact she was pretty sure she didn't know _anything_ about polar bears, except that she really, really, really didn’t want to find herself standing in front of one in the middle of a train station. 

She averted her gaze to the floor, working on the principle that it was a good idea not to look anything that was capable of eating you in the eyes. She could hear the polar bear breathing; it was the only sound she could hear, except perhaps for the furious beating of her own heart. 

The polar bear slowly started to pad away from her. Jenny found herself holding her breath, her lungs constricting from the fear of it. There must be another anomaly somewhere, which made what, three now? All centred on this one place. Jenny didn’t think it was possible for more than one anomaly to link to the same place, but then she supposed Cutter and Sarah's research might have a lead on that. 

She realised that her thoughts were babbling away, but it was keeping her still and motionless and not thinking about what it would be like to have a giant paw slicing across her chest. She wanted very much to close her eyes but she knew that would be far worse, just hearing the creature and not being able to see it if she wanted to. 

Finally she steeled her nerve and looked over at the polar bear. It was no longer looking at her, but curiously sniffing at some discarded clothes. She could make a run for it, dash up to where the others were. But then, couldn't polar bears run pretty fast when they wanted to? She couldn’t remember and gave herself a firm ticking off for preferring Strictly over Frozen Planet. She'd have to do some more research from now on, maybe even borrow a few books from Connor. 

The polar bear turned for one final look at Jenny, just as she was making up her mind to make a run for it, and then started ambling away. Jenny let out a very long breath and then shook her head. She took off her heels and kicked them away. If there was anyone else left in the building and they came up against a polar bear...she shuddered. No, she'd have to follow and see where it went.

As quietly as she could, and with more than a little reservation, Jenny anxiously followed the polar bear. It turned a corner and then, struggling somewhat on the steps down to the ticket barriers, began sniffing at some discarded take away boxes on the floor. Jenny held her breath as it seemed to sniff the air and then it turned, suddenly, its whole body going rigid. 

Jenny was just about to look to see what had caused the polar bear's alarm when a gun was pressed into her side. 

“Don't. Move.”

Furious, Jenny ignored the man's voice in favour of turning around. “Look here,” she began, but the man in front of her – long hair and shaggy beard, wearing some sort of uniform, and was that an ARC insignia on his arm? - put his hand over her mouth. 

“And when I say don't move, I also mean don't talk and don't do anything stupid. I know that's hard for you, coming from the Cutter Age, but it's necessary. _Silence._ ”

Jenny frowned, what on earth was this man talking about? But she could see, just from the corner of her eye, that there were more people now, also dressed in the same light blue uniform, corralling the polar bear through an anomaly. She had no idea how they were doing it, but whatever they were doing was working. 

Jenny refrained from biting the man's hand, but she did move her head out of his grasp. “And just who the hell are you?” she asked. 

The man, unexpectedly, laughed. “Me? I'm the future, baby.”

Jenny decided she hated him. 

**Location: On A Train, St Pancras International**

“This has got to be the most ridiculous thing you've ever done, surely?” Stephen was saying, as Danny attempted to, in effect, hot wire a train. 

Danny paused. “Nah, I can think of other things much more ridiculous than this. This is practically pedestrian.”

Stephen smiled and rolled his shoulders. It was good to back. Even back doing this. 

“You going to tell us just what you're doing back any time soon?” Danny asked. 

Stephen jerked, surprised. Though of course, if anyone was going to ask him straight out, it would be Danny Quinn. 

“Does it matter?” Stephen asked. 

“Answering a question with a question,” Danny said, with a nod of his head, “very significant”. He then turned back to what he was doing, as if Stephen's response had explained everything. 

Stephen wasn't sure whether he was grateful or not. Danny might be loud and brash, but he could put Stephen to shame as far as enigmatic behaviour went. Immediately Stephen could feel the tension returning to his neck and shoulders. Of course, he knew it wasn't going to be easy. But he'd hoped he'd be able to explain it to Cutter first, and then everyone else. He hadn't expected it to play out any differently than he'd imagined. Which he realised was foolish; their lives never unfolded as expected. 

“Hart's – the other me, he's gone back. Somewhere. We went after Banyon,” Stephen said. Danny paused, his body a perfect arch as he fiddled with some controls. “He's dead...”

Danny stood up and turned around. “Yeah?” he asked, everything he wasn't going to put into words plainly written across his face. 

Stephen blinked. There wasn't anything accusing in Danny's expression, which he realised was something of a relief. But there was a blankness there, a wariness of what Stephen might do next. 

“What's this?” Abby said. She poked her head inside the train's cab. “Who's been doing what?”

Stephen got the words out in a rush, explaining about the future predators and Banyon. He kept the impressions he'd formed in the future to himself though, for now at least. But his mind did slip back to the destruction he'd waged in the future, about the future predators one by one sacrificing themselves until it was only Stephen and Hart left, in all the world, as far as the eye could see. A barren landscape with just two anomalies sparkling in the dim light. 

Suddenly, before Stephen could decide what else he should tell them versus what they wanted to know, the train shook violently. The four of them turned to look out the window, straight into the eye of a very angry looking Albertosaurus.

“This remind anybody of anything?” Connor asked, as the Albertosaurus blinked, once, deliberately. 

“Not now Conn, eh?” Danny said, before fumbling with the train controls, and just as the Albertosaurus looked like it was trying to judge how wide its mouth needed to be to fit a train in it, he managed to move the train forward. 

The Albertosaurus roared and Connor, Abby and Stephen were all flung backwards to the floor. 

“Danny!” Abby shouted, but Danny was more concerned with the other Albertosaurus, standing on the tracks in front of them, to pay her any attention. 

“Brace yourselves!” Danny cried. 

Stephen twisted and covered Abby and Connor with as much of his body as he was able; this was going to be painful. 

With a jerk and a roar of metal the train hit the Albertosaurus full on and began to buckle and fall. Glass fell all about them and Stephen winced as he felt it cut his arms. He tried to keep his position perched over Abby and Connor but then the train was twisting and turning and they were all screaming, the sound ripped from their throats without them being fully aware of it. 

Then there was only silence. 

**Location: Outside the Offices of Florian's Cleaning Services**

“Are you sure this is the place?” Sarah asked. She peered out of the passenger side window as Becker slowly drove by. It was a very unprepossessing building, all glass and steel and no personality. There were no cars in the car park and no sign of any people either. 

“This is definitely where Tariq said the van had been registered,” Lucas said from the back-seat. “Plates could have been stolen...”

“They could,” Becker agreed. “Best to check it out anyway. See if there's anyone inside we can talk to.”

He pulled the car into a space right near the front door, and then peered through the windscreen. 

“What is it?” Sarah asked. 

“There isn't even anyone at the reception desk. This place could be a front for something else. Is Tariq...?”

“He said he was going to look into it some more,” Lucas agreed. “If there's anything to find, Tariq will find it.”

“Right,” Becker said, “let's go then.”

All three of them got out of Becker's car and started towards the building. Becker and Lucas drew their guns as they approached, and ushered Sarah to stay behind them both. Sarah wasn't as experienced in the field as they were, but even she could sense that something wasn't right. 

They headed through the front door which had been unlocked, and then past the empty reception desk. Although they'd come there to speak to someone, no one said a word as they walked through the corridors, Lucas and Becker checking each door as they passed, and Sarah trying not to get in their way. She idly thought about asking for a gun of her own, before dismissing the idea; she didn't think they'd agree when a gunfight was a real possibility. 

Suddenly Sarah felt a sharp pull at her belt. She looked at Becker and Lucas but neither of them seemed to notice anything amiss. They both moved to check out a room on the right and Sarah, knowing that she should probably say something, but feeling like she couldn't, carried on down the corridor and opened the double set of glass doors she found there. 

“Oh no,” she whispered as she took in the sight before her. “Guys!” she called out, “you need to see this.”

She could hear a muttered curse behind her. “I thought I told you to stay...” Becker began, before he came to a halt next to her. 

“Well,” Lucas said, staring at the anomaly which was taking up most of the room, “I'd say we're definitely in the right place.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Location: Somewhere, Some Time**

Cutter came back to himself rather groggily, his vision blurring in and out; he felt like he was looking at the world through a decidedly psychopathic kaleidoscope.

He was still tied to the same device as he had been before, but thankfully there was no voice spouting inane facts at him. He knew what they'd been trying to do, some sort of brainwashing. But he wasn't about to fall for that. Not when Lucas North and the denizens of MI5 had given the team intense training in resisting such techniques; never again would Cutter say that Lucas and Becker's training was a waste of time. In fact he'd make damn sure that the training was mandatory for everybody who set foot inside the ARC. 

Of course, the whole thing had given him a bloody headache, and a weird stomach ache. Not to mention slightly blurred vision. 

He groaned as he tried to work out all the things he had wrong with him – far too many to count. 

The main thing he had to do was work out exactly where he was. Was this Morgan telling the truth – was he in Russia? And more importantly _when_ was he – the future? The technology certainly seemed advanced enough but there was something, something he'd overhead on one of his more conscious episodes. Something about going back. Back in time? Would someone be so reckless as to take modern technology back into the past? 

Cutter's heart dropped. Of course they bloody would. 

He opened his eyes a little wider and tried to turn his head. He needed to get out of there. He didn’t care where or when he was, he just needed to get away. 

He imagined he was being watched, a blinking light in the corner looked like it could probably be a camera, but he couldn’t take much more of this insane treatment. Consequences be damned, he started to pull his arms free. The plastic wires cut into his wrists a little and he ground his teeth together, trying not to be distracted by the trickles of blood he could feel; he'd just have to hope that he didn't sever an artery or something. It would certainly be an ignominious way to die.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he managed to pull one of his arms free. From there it didn't take long for him to remove the other bonds. He pushed himself away from the examining table, only to fall straight to his knees, his sense of balance completely shot. 

He stayed like that, on all fours, for longer than he cared to imagine. He kept telling himself that he needed to get up, that he needed to move before someone found him like this, that he needed to get away. But what he wanted to do and what he was capable of were, right now, completely at odds. 

“Come on, Nick,” he said to himself, “get a move on. What would Stephen do?”

It was exactly that, the thought of what Stephen would do in his place, that got Cutter moving. Stephen had gone after what he wanted, and Cutter wanted to be there when Stephen came back. He'd be no good to anybody if he stayed there, panting on the floor. 

He launched himself in one, not completely fluid motion, and stood for a few seconds, panting against the wall. Then he turned around and got his bearings. 

The room was dominated by a large window – clear glass so he was certain that no one was watching him through that. There were tables cluttered with scientific equipment, most of which he recognised, though the odd one he didn't.

There were two doors, one which seemed to lead to the back room he could see through the large window, and the other which inevitably lead to freedom. Or destruction. 

Either way, he was choosing that door.

**Location: Inside the Offices of Florian's Cleaning Service**

“Should we go through?” Sarah asked, looking curiously at the anomaly. She'd seen a fair few up front now, but they never ceased to amaze her. Simple things of light and beauty that could wreak such havoc on the world. Sarah couldn’t ever believe a time when her work would prove boring or less than worthwhile. 

“I don't think that's a good idea,” Becker said automatically. “We don't know what we might find through there.”

“My bet's on your professor,” Lucas said, though he too kept his distance. “Looks almost as if they built this room around the anomaly, doesn't it?”

Becker nodded, he could see what Lucas meant. The anomaly was the centre of the room, the focal point. The walls seemed like they were lined with lead, purposely blocking its signal to anyone who might be looking for it. There was some computer equipment on a table to the left, which Sarah moved over to examine. 

“I'll call Lester,” Becker said. “You stay with Sarah.”

Lucas looked vaguely amused at being ordered about, but nodded anyway. Becker felt the urge to apologise, but swallowed it. This was an ARC operation and he was in charge.

He moved outside into the corridor, but didn't turn his back on the anomaly or the others. He had no idea what was going on, and hopefully Tariq back at MI5 would have some more answers for them by now.

“Lester, Becker. We're at the location. And we've found an anomaly.” Becker held his phone away from his ear as Lester let loose with a string of curses. Obviously things weren’t going well back at the ARC either. “Sir?” He listened intently as Lester outlined what they knew – that anomalies were opening all over the world and it seemed like all hell was breaking loose. But he had no time to worry about that, or the rest of his team, stuck at St Pancras dealing with god knows what. He had to focus on Cutter and getting him back. As Lester continued with his instructions Becker paid scant attention. Cutter could be infuriating, stubborn, and completely nonsensical. But he was also the best chance the world had. 

Never mind what he'd told Sarah, they'd be going through that anomaly, with or without Lester's permission. 

**Location: St Pancras International**

“I want an explanation,” Jenny said, “and I want one now.” She scowled at the man in front of her but he continued flicking through what looked like some sort of tablet. She put her hands on her hips and then looked around at the other people. They all appeared to be securing the anomaly. Locking it. 

One of the men detached themselves from the group and walked over to Jenny. 

“It's all right, Jenny. You don't need to worry now.”

Jenny's blood ran cold. She'd know that voice anywhere.

“Stephen?” she asked, slowly, a time-travelling induced headache threatening to erupt behind her eyes.

“Not exactly. We decided on Hart.” Hart pulled off his hat and scarf, looking exactly like Stephen. And then he smiled, and Jenny could see that the mirror image was no longer complete. There was a soft rippling of skin on his right cheek, indicating a healed scar just below the surface. Whatever else had happened in the future, he'd had some surgery to change his appearance, soften it so it looked more human, more like Stephen.

“But you – how?” Jenny asked, waving her hand vaguely in Hart's direction. 

“It's a long story,” he said. 

Jenny made an unimpressed face. “I'll make the time.”

Hart glanced at the other man who shrugged. 

“Okay,” Hart said. “Now is the Time of Convergence. When anomalies all over the world open. It'll pass, and things will go back to how they did before. But only because teams from the future back-up the presents team. Teams that don't have to follow the laws of time, or any law at all.”

“Or any law at all?” Jenny said, repeating the phrase with evident distaste. “This is not how we do things.” She became aware that several people were looking over at her, and their eyes were mocking. Jenny found herself drawing on every last reserve of her breeding not to put her hands on her hips and stick her tongue out at them. 

“I didn't think it was,” Hart said, “but it's how things are done in the future. The ARC becomes...”

“A vigilante group?” Jenny suggested. “Not the ARC I work for. Not ever.”

“We're not the ARC you work for though, are we?” the man in charge said. He finally put his tablet away and removed one of his gloves before putting his hand out for Jenny to shake. She did so automatically, her lips drawn closely together in a thin line. “Major Graves, ma'am. At your service.”

“So what exactly are you doing?” Jenny asked. 

“We're securing the future,” Hart said with a shrug. Then, he looked a little uncertain. “Did Stephen make it back okay?”

Jenny nodded. “Yes, he's dealing with an Albertosaurus on the main platform. I – I ought to go and see if they're all right, actually. Danny was planning on taking it out with a train.” She tried to smile at the ridiculousness of the situation but really, the idea sounded even more badly thought out now that she had said it out loud. 

“A train?” Hart said. “Oh, that I've got to see.” He looked at Graves for confirmation.

“Go ahead, we've got a couple more mammals to locate.”

Jenny looked around anxiously, one polar bear encounter was more than enough. 

“It's all right, little lady,” the man Graves said with a smile, “you're safe right now.”

Jenny indicated that Hart should go in front of her and, as they headed back up to the platforms she made very sure to not so accidentally bang into Graves with a shoulder. It might have been childish, but it felt pretty damned good. 

**Location: On board a train, St Pancras International**

“Not one of my better plans,” Danny muttered to himself. He shook glass out of his hair and looked around. The front of the train was crumpled, certainly, but to say it had taken on a dinosaur, it actually wasn't looking that bad. Danny patted the side of the train affectionately. “Thanks old girl.”

“I'm not sure who's madder. You for thinking this up or me for letting you do it,” Stephen said. He got up from his position on the floor, untangling his legs from Abby's. She and Connor were staring at each other, and if Stephen was judging their movements correctly, they were about five seconds away from kissing the life out of each other. 

“Madness is just a state of mind,” Danny replied. He looked out the shattered front window of the train. “Do you think it's dead?”

Stephen moved closer to Danny and stared at the Albertosaurus. It was lying on its side, legs and tail at an unnatural angle. But Stephen thought he could still see the tell-tale signs of breathing. And there was no sign of its mate either. 

“It won't last long, but I don't think it's quite finished yet.”

Danny nodded. “Someone's going to have to do the deed, then,” he said. 

Stephen was already reaching for Danny's gun, which in the confusion had got knocked to the floor. “I'll take care of it.”

He vaulted out of the train window and crouched to the ground before Danny had time to say anything. Looking around for a suitable weapon Danny pulled at a fire extinguisher and then clambered over the front of the train to join Stephen. 

“You're not doing this alone, mate,” Danny said in response to Stephen's glare. 

“Right. Fine,” Stephen said, blowing out a breath to calm his nerves. He'd killed plenty of injured creatures when he'd been in the rainforests with Cutter and this was no different. It was just this was a larger creature than he was used to. And extinct. 

“Stay there,” Danny said to Abby and Connor who were peering out of the window. They nodded but looked like they were about to disobey the minute Danny's back was turned. Danny grinned. “No discipline in this unit, that's its problem.”

Stephen found himself smiling despite himself. “Just keep an eye out for the other one. It won't have gone far.”

Danny nodded and watched intently as Stephen approached the injured Albertosaurus. He whispered nonsense words to it, his hand outstretched as if to pet it. The creature opened its eyes and Danny braced himself, but the glassy eyed gaze was unfocused and the eye drooped as suddenly as it had opened. 

“I'm sorry,” Stephen whispered. “I wish I knew a way to fix this.” And then he calmly placed the gun against the side of the creature's head, and pulled the trigger. 

Further down the platform Jenny and Hart heard the gunshot and broke into a run. 

They found a scene of carnage, with the train's first two carriages upturned, but the rest miraculously still standing on the tracks. Hart drew his weapon and carefully approached, with Jenny a hairsbreadth behind. 

Danny jumped out at them and despite herself Jenny let out a short scream, before raising a hand to her pounding chest. 

“Whoops, sorry,” he said. He lowered the extinguisher he'd been aiming at them. “Any sign of the other one?” 

“Other one?” Jenny asked. She moved forwards and then was able to get a closer a look at the first Albertosaurus, lying on its side, clearly dead. Stephen was standing by it, a gun dangling from his fingers. “Oh, poor thing,” Jenny said. Then she straightened her spine; sentimentalism had no place in this job. “Everyone present and accounted for?”

“We're all fine,” Danny assured her. 

“I think we've found the other one,” Connor said, appearing from behind the wrecked train. “You’re going to want to see this.”

Connor led the way to where Abby was standing, keeping watch. Two anomalies were twirling side by side, and there were clear signs that something had gone through one of them recently. 

“How can two anomalies be in the same place at the same time?” Danny asked. 

“Convergence,” Hart said, and then shrugged at their blank looks. “Trust me, it makes sense. Let's just...” He pulled a contraption out of his back pocket, and set it upon the ground. Connor came over for a closer look and before they knew it, both anomalies were locked. 

“How did you do that?” Connor asked breathlessly. “Locking two at once?” He stepped even closer to the machine, but Hart shook his head and gently pushed him back. 

“Sorry, Connor. But I'm not sure you should see it before you've invented it. If you see what I mean.”

“Eh, yeah, okay,” Connor said. “But maybe seeing it now is how I knew how to make it in the first place?”

“Any body else need a drink?” Danny asked, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck. 

“Several,” Jenny replied. “But we've got more problems to worry about, I'm afraid.”

“Oh?” asked Stephen, who'd come up from behind them so quietly that none of them had noticed. “What problems?”

“The kind that come armed from the future, and think they know everything.”

“Great,” Danny said. “My favourite.”

 **Location: The ARC**

James Lester wasn't generally a violent man, but right now his patience was being sorely tested. “I'm not telling you again Captain Becker, under no circumstances...” But he quickly realised that he was talking to dead air, and threw the phone across the room. “Lorraine!” he screamed and his PA came running. 

“What – what's happened?”

“Get back-up sent to Becker's location. Has it arrived yet at St Pancras?”

“Um,” Lorraine looked shiftily down at her shoes, and then back up at her boss. “Not exactly.”

Lester became very still. “What?”

“I thought it was a bit strange, how no back-up arrived the first time, or the second. So I did a bit of digging and well. Someone’s hacked into our servers. They've diverted both back-up teams.”

“How is that even possible? I thought after the last incident...”

“I know sir.” Lorraine took a deep, almost frightened breath. “The breach didn't come from outside.” 

“Who?” 

“The I.D logging that MI5 put in place is very thorough. I'd say the best in the world. It can be really useful to trace back access and...”

“Ms Wickes, you are rambling. Kindly desist.”

Lorraine flushed, took a deep breath, and then started again. “The programme runs from MI5's own servers. I don't have any control over it. When something suspicious is logged, it's them that pick up on it. They're the ones that take immediate action.”

“Yes, and? Who is it that has been countermanding my orders?”

“Well, sir, um, you have. It's your ID that's been used to keep the back-up teams away.”

“Lock us down,” Lester said with a sigh.

Lorraine blinked. “I'm sorry, what -?”

“Lock the ARC down. Now. We're taking ourselves out of the game.”

“What game?”

“I don't know,” Lester said. He sank down into his seat. “But as we don’t know the players or the rules, I suggest we fold. Understood?”

Lorraine's brow cleared. “Yes, sir, I understand perfectly.” After the last incursion into the ARC they'd put in contingency plans for events such as these. If need be, they'd blow the whole building sky high.

Lester dug around in his desk drawer for his painkillers and downed a couple with the aid of a lukewarm glass of water. He made a face at the taste but his headache was threatening to turn into a migraine if he didn't put a stop to it now. 

Before he had chance to pick up the phone and call Thames House to find out what the hell was going on, and what Harry Pearce was playing at, he heard Lorraine give a yelp of surprise, and then silence. Immediately suspicious he headed cautiously out of his door and then stopped, abruptly, as he came face to face with himself.


	9. Chapter 9

“What did he say?” Sarah asked. She was standing next to the computer, apparently running some sort of simulation. Becker didn't feel he could point out all the ways that that probably wasn't a good idea. They needed some answers and he had to start trusting that Sarah knew what she was doing.

“That the situations getting out of control. More and more anomalies are opening worldwide and not surprisingly, people are beginning to panic.”

Lucas and Sarah exchanged surprised looks. “What's the government doing?” Lucas asked. 

Becker shrugged. “Not our problem. Though if you need to leave...”

“I'm sure Harry can handle it without me,” Lucas replied with a drawl. “You lot tend to be where all the fun happens, anyway”. 

Becker just about refrained from rolling his eyes at the other man. 

“And what about the others?” Sarah asked. “Are they okay?”

“There's no news on St Pancras,” Becker said. “I don't know what's going on, but I'm sure Danny and the others can handle it. We've got to think about Cutter and getting him back. I'm afraid that's where our priorities lie.”

Sarah nodded and took a deep breath; this would be her first venture through an anomaly and she wasn't sure which emotion was going to win, absolute joy or absolute terror. At least Becker hadn't suggested that she stay behind although he clearly looked like he wanted to. 

Lucas was staring curiously at the anomaly – he'd never been through one either. “So, how do we do this then? How do we make sure it's safe?”

“I poke my head through and see what happens,” Becker replied. 

“I see,” Lucas said, smiling. “That makes perfect sense. Have at it.”

Sarah started buttoning up her jacket. “Don’t I need a weapon or something?” 

Becker looked her up and down. “Yes, you do. Don't do anything till I'm back.” 

Becker hurried out to the car, casting a furtive glance around him as he did so. For a building with an anomaly smack bang in the middle of it, there didn't appear to be too much security. Or indeed personnel. 

He quickly grabbed his backpack with further supplies, including a handgun for Sarah. Part of the new ARC procedures meant that everyone on the team had to be weapons trained, even if they didn’t regularly go out in the field, and Becker knew that Sarah would at least make sure not to shoot herself in the foot. 

He turned back to the building and then paused, his senses on full-alert. He was sure he'd heard something. He kept himself still, listening out for a repeat of the sound he'd heard. But there was nothing. 

And then, just out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of something. Something dark and moving fast. He manoeuvred round but there was nothing in the car park. He edged forward slowly but there didn't appear to be any tracks on the ground. Not that he was as expert as Stephen at tracking, but he'd learned a lot since joining the ARC. And he most certainly did not believe in ghosts. Which meant that somebody had been there, was there, was probably watching him right now.

He headed back to the others, keeping his weapon in his hand and his eyes alert.

The figure came from his right, and he barely had time to move before he was rugby tackled to the ground by his assailant. Becker automatically defended himself, kicking out and then smashing at his attacker with the butt of his gun. Then he felt a jerk and his body moved of its own accord. Randomly from a distance he realised that he'd just had a stun gun used on him, but then there was a bag placed over his head and the gun was taken away from him, his fingers not able to hold onto it. 

He tried to speak, tried to do anything, but couldn’t focus on anything but the sudden pain as his leg was stomped on. 

And then his head hit the floor with a sickening crunch and the world disappeared into a haze of pain.

 **Location: St Pancras International**

Stephen and Hart were staring at each other, a little like the way Connor and Abby were staring at each other, and Danny wasn't sure whether to be amused or disgusted. He settled on turning to Jenny with a pointed look. 

“I don't know why you're looking at me like that,” Jenny said. “It won't help me get in contact with the ARC.”

Danny took Jenny's phone out of her hand and dialled the ARC's number for himself. Jenny glared at him and couldn't help the smirk from dancing across her face as he too got a dead tone. 

“Maybe the future boys know what's going on?” Danny suggested. 

He and Jenny turned around to where the other ARC team was standing in a huddled group, unfamiliar looking weapons gripped tightly in their hands. Jenny might not want to admit it, but she could easily see how her ARC team could one day turn into that, a militarised unit far deadlier than their own. And more ruthless. She dreaded to think what event had lead them to that. But then maybe this was it, this moment right now could be the catalyst. Maybe they really were living in the future now. 

“Things are just different in the future,” Hart said, with that unnerving ability he had to seemingly read everybody's thoughts. “You wouldn’t understand. You haven't had to live like we have.”

“But hasn't it changed now?” Stephen asked. “After what we did?” 

“What did you do?” Jenny asked. 

Stephen turned to her and then looked back at Hart. Clearly she wasn’t going to get an answer today. 

“What we had to,” Hart said. “That's all we ever do.”

Abby and Connor came up to them, quickly dropping their held hands as they realised they'd been spotted. Danny wolf whistled and Jenny winced as the sound threatened to exacerbate the headache she was trying to pretend she didn’t have. 

“We still can't raise Cutter,” Abby said, face turning a little pink. “Or Becker.”

“Or Sarah. Or MI5,” Connor added, looking anywhere but at his friends. “It's like they've all vanished. You don't think – you don't think no one's out there do you? That we're the only people left alive?”

Stephen startled them all by laughing. “No, Connor, I don't. But I do think Danny's right about the other team having the answers we need.”

“Can they tell us anything though?” Connor asked. “Temporal interference and all that?”

“The Time of Convergence isn't just about the anomalies,” Hart said. “A lot of threads have to come together.”

“You didn't seem so sure of that before,” Stephen said. “What happened after I left? I thought you weren't – I thought you were going off to die.”

“So did I,” Hart replied. “It wasn't my time though.”

“Meaning there is a time when you’re going to have to die?” Stephen prodded. 

“We all have to die, Stephen.” Hart moved away from the group, heading towards the other ARC team. “Major Graves?” he called out, “I think it's time you told them what you told me.”

The Major strode over to them, indicating that one more man should join them. “All right,” he said, “but maybe we should get this place cleaned up, and then we can properly talk.”

“I seem to be without my backup,” Jenny said, “so it might take a while to get the station back to normal.”

“No problem.” He clicked his fingers and his team were joined by more men coming around the corner, all dressed in similar military fatigues and with the same ARC logo on their shoulders. It wasn't quite like their own familiar one, in fact it reminded Jenny of the London 2012 Olympic logo, something that made her smile despite herself. How had this become her life?

“Sounds good to me,” Danny said, looking around at the mess he'd been mostly responsible for. “I never was one for the Marigolds,” he said, miming washing up. 

“Why is it we let you out in public?” Jenny asked Danny. 

Danny laughed and planted a kiss on Jenny’s cheek. “You'd miss me if I were gone.”

“The chance to miss you would be nice,” Jenny said, pushing Danny away from her, and trying to ignore the blush spreading across her face. “We could head back to the ARC?” she said, turning towards Major Graves. 

Graves shook his head. “Probably not wise right now.”

“There's somewhere else we could go,” the man standing next to Graves said. “Some of your team are probably there all ready.”

Graves frowned and examined his tablet, typing a few commands into it. His expression cleared as he scrolled through the screen, turning his body slightly away from Connor's attempt to read backwards and upside down.

“I really don't know how you manage to keep all that information in your head without exploding,” Graves said.

The man just shrugged. “Practice,” he replied after a moment. 

“Jenny Lewis,” Jenny said, extending her hand to the new person. 

He very slowly removed the balaclava that had been obscuring his features and then stared at Jenny's hand before carefully taking it in his own. He had a firm grip, for all his apparent uncertainty. 

“Matt,” the man said. “My name's Matt Anderson.”

“Well, Matt Anderson,” Jenny replied, “why don't you lead the way, since you clearly know what's about to happen.”

Matt released Jenny's hand and then turned around, and started to walk towards the exit of the train station. With a bemused shrug Jenny indicated that the others should all follow. No matter what happened now, it seemed better that they should all stick together.

And now they were in no immediate danger there came plenty of time to worry about what had happened to Cutter, a luxury she had yet to afford herself.

**Location: Inside the Offices of Florian's Cleaning Service**

“Shouldn't Becker have been back by now?” Sarah asked, hugging her arms around herself. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could feel cool air blowing through the anomaly. Unless of course it was just her nerves getting the better of her. For some reason she could allow herself to be much more vulnerable in front of Lucas than she could Becker. 

“Yes, he should,” Lucas replied. He looked between the door through which Becker had disappeared, back to Sarah and then to the anomaly. “If I go find out what's happened, will you promise not to go through the anomaly?”

“Of course,” Sarah said, far too quickly. 

“You've got your fingers crossed, haven't you?”

Sarah smiled sheepishly. “Cutter could be on the other side of that anomaly.”

“Anything could be on the other side of that anomaly.”

“Yes, it could,” Sarah said, her face lighting up. “The whole of time. The past. The future. Doesn't that just....fill your mind with all the possibilities. All the magic of the world?”

“No,” Lucas said. “Magic is most definitely not a word I associate with the anomalies. Carnage. Death. Creatures that have no right to exist. That's what the anomalies mean to me.”

Sarah's smile faded and she stepped closer to Lucas, reaching out as if to comfort him and then drawing her hand back before they touched. “I'm not saying that they aren’t dangerous, or that we shouldn't do everything we can to protect people from them. But at the same time, they're just...” Her gaze moved away from Lucas and into the middle distance. “Their very existence makes the past tangible. You can literally reach out and touch it. It's the most amazing thing I could ever hope to see with my own eyes.” She turned to look at the anomaly. It still looked as strong as it had when they'd first arrived, there was none of the tell-tale signs of degradation that she'd noticed at previous anomaly sites. “I just feel like I have to step through. Just this once.”

Lucas stared at her. It was hard to read his expression; Sarah hadn't given up trying to understand the other man, but it was definitely an up-hill struggle. 

“Okay,” he said. “Here.” He handed her his own weapon. “I trust you know how to use this?”

Sarah nodded. “Becker made sure of that.” She removed the safety from the gun and started to move towards the anomaly. “You can always tell Becker that I wrestled this away from you,” she said. 

Lucas smiled, a quick upturn of the lips, a wrinkle near his eyes. The years dropped off him. 

“I'll bear the idea in mind,” he said. “Happy travelling Sarah Page.”

“You too, Lucas North,” Sarah said. She watched Lucas turn away and run down the corridor and out of sight before she moved right up to the anomaly. She had the sudden premonition that Lucas held the key to her happiness. 

And then she stepped through into the unknown. 

**Location: The ARC**

Lester tried to compose his features into something resembling his normal expression, but he couldn't quite make his face do what he wanted it to. He had, of course, considered this possibility – only last month he and Jenny had written a manifesto of all the possible scenarios their new knowledge of the anomalies now made possible, and meeting a clone of himself was on that list – but the reality was very different. He took a small step forward, examining the other him as best he could; the similarities were remarkable. Though his other self looked as drained as Lester currently felt.

“I realise this is something of a surprise,” the other him said, and Lester shook his head at the absurdity of it all. 

“It's something, certainly. I take it you're the one who's been countermanding my orders?” 

“Yes. It was a necessary imperative, if we're to ensure that the next few hours go as planned. And to prevent any bloodshed.”

Lester looked in Lorraine's direction and then back at his doppelgänger. He hadn't failed to notice that Lorraine was clutching the railing outside of his office as if her life depended on it. Nor that everyone in the Atrium was frozen, as if time for them had stopped completely. 

“If what goes as planned?” Lester asked. 

“Convergence, naturally. Perhaps we should talk inside your office? It might be more conducive.”

Lester was sorely tempted to tell this other him exactly where he could stick his suggestion, but then common-sense prevailed. 

“Certainly. Lorraine, perhaps you could fetch us some coffee?”

“Of course,” Lorraine said, letting go of the railing and starting to slip past the others on the walkway. “I'll be right back.” 

“I'm sorry, Miss Wickes,” the other Lester said, grabbing at Lorraine's wrist as she passed him, “but I can't allow you to do that.”

Lester's expression turned thunderous. “Get your hands off of her. I won't allow any clone to manhandle my staff.”

To Lester and Lorraine's surprise the man started to laugh. “Clone?” he said. “I'm not your clone. I'm you. Well, I was.”

“Not a clone?” Lester repeated, very slowly. 

The other Lester gently released Lorraine and she went to stand next to her Lester. 

“He does look a little older than you,” Lorraine whispered. “Do you think he's telling the truth?”

“Of course I'm telling the truth,” the other Lester said. “I don't have time for lies.” He indicated that they should go into Lester's office, and, seeing no alternative, Lester did as he was told. He was well aware that MI5 monitored his office, which of course meant that his doppelgänger knew that too. In fact his doppelgänger probably knew more about the set-up of the ARC than he did himself, which was disconcerting to say the least. 

Lester sat down in his own chair and Lorraine seated herself on the soft chair in the corner. She was looking all around her as if trying to plot her escape. Lester had to admire her fortitude, but he wasn't yet sure what shape their escape attempt could possibly take. 

“So, Convergence,” Lester said. “What is it exactly?”

“All things becoming possible at all possible moments,” the other Lester said. Lester and Lorraine looked back at him blankly and he smiled. “In practice what it means is anomalies opening simultaneously all over the world – you should have seen this for yourselves by now – it's a perfectly natural phenomenon, but one which has devastating effects if you get in their way.”

“So you're here to make sure that we...do nothing,” Lester said, voice impressively void of emotion. 

“That would be the point, yes.”

Lester stared thoughtfully at his doppelgänger. Now that they were in the harsher light of his office he could see the differences between them, the areas where this other him had marks and scars and he did not. If Lester thought he was weighed down by responsibility, it was nothing to the sag he saw on this man's shoulders. 

“Did we do nothing the first time around?” Lester asked.

His doppelgänger shifted in his seat, his right arm coming to rest on his left. The two men the other Lester had with him moved their legs slightly apart, their jackets moving just enough so that Lester and Lorraine could see the guns they were each wearing. For the first time Lester wondered who was actually in charge here.

“No, you didn't.” The smile the doppelgänger gave Lester had no warmth. “And there were consequences for your rashness.”

“So you're suggesting that we don't make the same mistakes as the past?”

“I'm suggesting you’ll be amazed at what you can live through.”

**Location: Somewhere, Some Time**

When Cutter had first met Captain Becker there were many thoughts that went through his head, the main one being that he would never last a week with Cutter's team. He was very happy to say that he'd been proved wrong. And even happier that Becker, and Stephen, had made sure he had more than a passing familiarity with firearms. Because as he moved through Door Number 2 and spotted the gun lying on the table he grabbed it, checked it was correctly loaded and then pointed it at the woman sitting in the chair in the middle of the room. 

Luckily for them both she already had a bullet hole in the middle of her forehead. 

Cutter's hands began to shake but he told himself that he couldn't hang around here for too long. He did make a cursory inspection of the room, feeling obliged to check that the woman really was as dead as she looked, before moving out into the corridor. It branched off in many directions but, with the gun held in front of him, but pointing slightly downwards, as he'd been taught, he could feel a slight pull on it. Hopefully that meant that there was an anomaly nearby. 

Treading carefully over bits of broken glass – not daring to imagine what had transpired here and where his captors may have gone – he moved forwards, towards where the gun seemed to be pulling him. It wasn't necessarily a way home, but it was a way away from where he currently was, which was all he really wanted right now. 

He just wanted to go home, and the ache of it in his chest reminded him of Stephen, what Stephen must be going through, wherever he was right now. What would he do if they never saw each other again?

Muttering to himself that thinking like that wouldn't help get him home, and wondering at the same time what Connor would make of him stalking down a corridor with a gun in his hand, Cutter proceeded to the end of the corridor, bearing in mind Becker's advice about always checking each doorway before carrying on in case of nasty surprises. 

He was making good, if cautious, progress when the sound of a door opening behind him made him freeze. He looked back over his shoulder to see Dr Morgan coming out of a lift at the far end of the corridor. Without really thinking about it he ducked into the nearest room and ducked down low, keeping the door slightly ajar so that he could look out of it, putting the gun down on the floor within easy reach. 

He spared a glance to the rest of the room before turning back to the corridor. It was enough to ascertain that nobody else was in it – it looked like a standard office, though some of the technology on the desk suggested it was from the future. But Cutter couldn't concentrate on that – what he wanted was answers to Dr Morgan's ultimate plan. She'd wanted to use him for her project, of that much he was sure. And she'd been doing genetic experiments with future predators and prehistoric creatures, her aim supposedly to create medicines if what he'd gathered from his conditioning was correct. But it didn’t answer the question of where they were. Or how she'd known about the anomalies in the first place. Did he detect his ex-wife's hand in that, or was it just wishful thinking? There was of course no telling who may now be privy to the existence of the anomalies. Too much blood had been shed in recent years, far too many bodies to be completely swept under the carpet. 

Cutter was brought back to the moment by the sound of the door to which he had originally been heading opening and Dr Morgan's small exclamation. 

“Oh, I'm sorry,” a familiar voice said. “I didn't mean to startle you.”

“Where did you come from?” Dr Morgan asked, her voice echoing with a threatening timbre that set Cutter's heart racing. 

“From the uh – other room – the uh, sparkling light...”

“The anomaly? There weren't any guards there?” Dr Morgan asked. 

“Um, no? Not that I could see, anyway. Nobody stopped me walking right on through.” The voice was moving closer and then he could see her, could see Sarah, extending her hand to Dr Morgan. “Sarah Page.” She had guts, Cutter could say that much.

“What you choose to call yourself is of no interest to me.” 

Sarah lowered her hand and watched with some confusion as Dr Morgan moved straight past her and back into the room she'd just left. Cutter stretched his aching legs and stood up. 

“Sarah,” he hissed and watched as Sarah jumped, the gun in her hand almost falling to the ground. 

“Professor Cutter?” she asked excitedly. “You _are_ here. We were hoping you were.”

“We?” Cutter asked, opening the door further and stepping out slightly into the corridor, motioning as he did so for Sarah to come closer. “You mean the others are with you?”

Sarah looked sheepishly at the ground. “Well, not exactly. They're back on the other side. But they sent me through to get you.”

Cutter found that very hard to believe, but what mattered was how to get themselves back through the anomaly, not how they had got there in the first place. 

“We need to leave. Dr Morgan might be trying to close the anomaly for all I know. Did she look armed?”

“Dr Morgan ? Oh, I don't think so. I couldn't see a weapon anyway.” 

“That's because you didn't know where to look,” Dr Morgan said, stepping out into the corridor. She still looked unarmed to Cutter and Sarah, but then there was no telling what kind of future technology she had at her disposal. 

“All we want to do is leave,” Cutter said. “You can keep your secrets and your experiments, I just want to get us home.”

Dr Morgan looked at Cutter pityingly. “You don't expect me to believe that do you? After your people have killed all of my staff.”

“My people?” Cutter repeated. He looked at Sarah for confirmation but she shook her head. “No one but Dr Page here has come through from my time.”

“Lies. That's all the 21st century is made of. Lies upon lies. I don't know how you can stomach such deceit.”

Cutter scoffed. “As opposed to kidnapping and torture I suppose?” 

He felt Sarah go rigid at his side but didn't dare look at her. He needed to maintain his composure.

“That wasn't my idea.” Dr Morgan said. “I was just following orders.”

Cutter raised an eyebrow. “That was never a good defence in the past, it certainly isn't one in the future.”

Dr Morgan laughed. “The future? You really think _this_ hell-hole is the future? When your playground is time you can set up a lab anywhere you like.”

“So where are we then?” Sarah asked. 

“See for yourself.” Dr Morgan removed a panel from the wall and the wall opposite them started to shimmer and disappear, to be replaced by a glass – or similar looking material – window. Sarah moved closer to it, her fingertips pressed gently against it as if she could reach out and make sure the vista before her was real. 

“We're not in the future,” Sarah said, absurdly, as she stared at the half-finished pyramid opposite. Workers were scurrying around it like ants, finishing one of the Pharaohs greatest projects. 

“My god,” Cutter said, standing next to Sarah. “It's incredible.” 

“I'm glad you think so,” Dr Morgan said. “Because I think we can safely class this experiment as a failure, and _that's_ going to be the very last thing either of you ever see.”

Sarah and Cutter didn’t have a chance to react, before the shot rang out.


	10. Chapter 10

**Location: The ARC**

It was, as usual, Lorraine who realised what Lester wanted before he knew he wanted it, though in this case it was the doppelgänger version's intent she was reading. She jumped to her feet and pulled at Lester's arm, pulling him backwards and out of the way as the other Lester took one of his guards guns and shot it in the arm. As the other spun to retaliate he shot him in the arm too. Both gave an electronic sounding hiss and then their heads fell to their necks and they froze, as if asleep. 

“What - ?” Lester began to ask, pushing Lorraine a little behind himself to shield her from whatever might happen next. 

“Come on,” the doppelgänger said, “we don't have much time. I'll explain on the way.”

Lester looked as if he were about to argue, but Lorraine pushed him towards the door. “You heard what you said, we need to move.”

Lester found himself doing as she commanded, following his other self out of the room and down the gantry. The lab techs and administrators who had been milling around the Atrium in anxious silence were now spurned to action and began shouting questions to both Lester's, unsure of which one they should be taking their orders from, considering the doppelgänger's strange arrival. 

“Where are we going?” Lester asked again as they moved out of the Atrium. 

“The interrogation room,” the other Lester said. 

“Intereg... - We don't have any interrogation rooms,” Lester said. 

“Fine,” his other self said, “the interview rooms if you prefer. Specifically whichever one in which you're holding Mr Kuznetsov.” 

“Kuznetsov?” Lester asked, surprised. “What on earth has he got to do with any of this?”

“He's a more valuable asset than you could imagine,” the doppelgänger said. “It's this one, yes?” He pointed at the door they were now standing in front of. 

“Actually, no,” Lorraine said. She pointed at a room two doors down. “It's that one.”

The doppelgänger looked Lester up and down. “You really need to keep a more accurate diary.”

Lester stared at him. “Surely you know what you did once before. Haven't you already done this?”

“Not exactly. Wouldn't be much point in reliving the exact same moment the same way, would there?”

“I - “ Lester rubbed at his head. He hated time travel at the best of times and now he was really missing Connor's presence; he'd at least be able to make sense of all of this. 

“How can Kuznetsov, help?” Lorraine asked, even as she was putting her thumb against the lock on the outside of the door to open it – more tech from their friends at MI5. 

“He's the key to everything,” the other Lester said, pushing the door open. 

What they found was Anatoly Kuznetsov, with his head on his folded arms on the desk in front of him, apparently asleep, apart from the rapid rate at which his eyes were moving backwards and forwards. With a sudden jerk he lifted his head from the table and blinked at the others. 

“What – what is this?”

“The most ingenious piece of equipment we've ever seen,” the doppelgänger said, addressing Lester and Lorraine. “We've never been entirely sure when the swap was made. It certainly wasn't done by the Russians. Even in my time their anomaly project is all over the place, and the Civil War certainly didn’t help matters.”

“What?” Lester asked. 

“Oh, let me show you.” From somewhere in his jacket the other Lester pulled out a knife and in one smooth motion he stabbed Anatoly in the arm. 

“Oh my god,” Lorraine said, backing away towards the door and trying to pull Lester back with her. But Lester moved forward, surprised that there was no signs of blood and that Anatoly seemed completely unconcerned by the turn of events.

“What _is_ that?” 

“The most advanced circuitry that money can't buy,” the doppelgänger said. “Stolen from the future. Or developed there, we''re not totally sure. But what we do know is that the experiments Dr Kuznetsov's team were working on, this business with your man Jin trying to brainwash Stephen, it's all connected. Someone wants to use the technology of the future and start creating new super creatures in the past, changing the face of evolution for ever. And the time of Convergence is when it started. Everyone was so distracted by all the anomalies that no one was paying attention to the little things.”

“The little things?” Lorraine asked, still standing half in and half out of the door, ready to make her escape if necessary. 

“Dinosaurs are a powerful distraction if you want to break into say, a bank, or CERN, or anywhere in Silicon Valley.”

“My God,” Lester said. “You mean....” He turned towards Lorraine and then began pacing the room. “Targeted attacks, gathering supplies? Letting creatures loose to see what they will do. The most global scientific experiment ever conducted...”

“Exactly. This isn't the only time line that experiences Convergence. We've noted similar patterns in all our researches. But this, here, with your ARC team, that seems to be the centre of everything. And your the only ones who can stop it.”

“All right,” Lester said. “What do we have to do?”

“I'm rather afraid you're going to have to die.”

**Location: London**

“Well, isn't this cosy,” Danny said from his seat in the army truck they'd found parked outside, with the ARC's logo emblazoned on its side. Everyone ignored him. 

“You actually brought a truck through an anomaly?” Jenny said. “Cutter is going to have a heart attack when he hears about this.”

“I expect Professor Cutter is going to have other things on his mind,” Matt replied. 

That caught everybody’s attention. 

“Is he all right? Do you know what's happened to him?” Stephen asked. 

Matt looked over at him briefly before returning his eyes to the road. He was the designated driver with Stephen next to him and the others all laid out on benches in the back, squashed up against each other as they tried to hear what was being said. Danny had his feet hooked through Jenny's, though she didn't appear to have noticed. Abby and Connor were holding hands and Hart and Major Graves were eyeing each other with suspicion. 

“He'll be fine. We've got people taking care of it.”

“It?” Stephen pressed, pulling at his seat belt so he could properly face Matt. 

“The situation that's he got himself into. It will be all resolved satisfactorily.”

“ _Satisfactorily,_ ” Stephen repeated. “Well that's all right then.”

Matt's lips twitched. “You're a lot different than the reports make out.”

Stephen’s brow furrowed, unsure of whether or not that was supposed to be a compliment. He had to say he was getting to used to the uncertainty of dealing with people from different timelines. Now if they could only find someone who wasn't so bloody obtuse. 

“There are reports about us?” Connor piped up from the back. “Cool.”

“Yes, they're certainly that,” Matt agreed with a small smile. 

Stephen, Jenny and Danny all exchanged worried glances. Somehow that didn't sound that cool to them. 

“So, where we heading again?” Danny asked. “I seemed to have missed it the last time you told us.”

“He didn't tell us,” Hart said and Danny rolled his eyes. “Oh, that's what you meant.”

“Bit more literal where you come from?” Danny asked. 

“We didn't used to have time for sarcasm. Too busy burying people.”

There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone tried to work out whether that was a joke or not. Deciding that it probably wasn’t, Jenny tried to steer the topic back to the matter at hand. 

“We really need to know where we're going before I can let this continue. We're putting a lot of faith in you, that you are who you say you are. That you're really here to help. We've been burned by people from the future before.” Jenny looked sadly over at Stephen, who resolutely turned away and stared out of the window at the passing traffic. “There are some risks that are unacceptable.”

Matt gave Jenny an assessing look before nodding. “Very well. If, of course, Major Graves agrees.”

They turned as one to where Major Graves was sitting, face as inscrutable as the first time they'd met. Suddenly he burst into a smile. “I think you may as well. Who knows what the next hour might bring.” He examined his watch. “No, make that the next 45 minutes.”

“Why don't I like the sound of that?” Danny asked no one in particular. 

“What's going to happen in 45 minutes?” Abby asked.

“How long till we get to the offices?” Graves asked Matt instead and Abby visibly swallowed her frustration.

“Fifteen minutes?” Matt guessed, checking the SatNav. 

“Right then,” Graves said. “Then why don't you tell them a fairy story?”

Matt rolled his eyes but was nodding anyway as the others in the van just looked confused. 

“If this is some sort of game to you...” Jenny began. 

“It's not a game,” Matt said. “This is our lives.”

“ _After the First Convergence, when multiple anomalies opened up all over the world, the anomalies themselves seemed to come less and less frequently. The ARC started to wind-down, thinking that their job was done now and they could concentrate on research, trying to work out how to stop the anomalies all together. It lead to a whole new branch of science, secret by necessity, but attracting Britain’s brightest minds. And its most unscrupulous._

_Quick trips into the past lead to longer trips into the future. Soon small teams were foraging for whatever they could get. Plundering where they could. No one knows how much damage they may have done to the timeliness. Maybe none. Maybe all of us have had our lives rewritten more times than we'd ever be able to count._

_But the most interest focused on you, the original ARC team, the ones who put into motion a proper plan to stop the anomalies. You all became attractive targets. If you could be brought over, by force or otherwise, to science for profit rather than the good of mankind...then anything would be possible. You'd each be the poster child for the future whether you wanted it or not._

_And then of course, there was Stephen. Taken, transformed, with abilities that no one had ever seen before...”_

Matt trailed off from his story and then the others shifted a little; they'd been so enthralled by what Matt was telling them that it was hard to believe that for him this wasn't just a possible future, it was the world he'd lived in. 

“What happened to me? In the future you're from?” Stephen asked, swallowing around a lump in his throat. He had to force himself to remember how to breathe, and only managed it when Jenny reached over and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. 

Matt slowed down the van and pulled over into an almost deserted car park. 

“You – you decide to stay in the future, develop a breeding programme for the predators, help them become the dominant species on earth.”

“I see,” Stephen said. 

“You see? You see?” Danny asked. _“Jesus.”_

“Danny,” Jenny admonished. “Don't.”

“But that's not _our_ Stephen. Our Stephen has got more bloody sense. Right? Right?”

There was a too long silence before Stephen seemed to snap out of whatever zone his head had been in. “Of course. To save the future we have to protect the present. Clearing up this mess, then stopping the anomalies once and for all, that has to be our main priority.” He was staring out of the window, his eyesight sharper and quicker than the others. “Is it just me,” he began, “or is that Captain Becker over there?”

“Where?” Jenny asked, leaning over to try and get a better view. 

“There,” Stephen said, pointing towards the corner of the building. 

“It looks like a blob to me,” Jenny said, “but I'll trust your eyes. Why have you brought us here?” she asked, directing her question to Matt.

“This is where it started. There's an anomaly inside that building. In my time the story goes that Stephen turned his back on the ARC and went through it to the future.”

Stephen abruptly turned to face Matt. “Your time hasn't happened yet. I've done more than enough travelling through anomalies for a lifetime.”

Suddenly the team heard gunshots from inside the building. 

Stephen shot out of the van before any of them could react, shortly followed by Matt and Major Graves, who yelled at the others to stay where they were. Danny looked over at Jenny. 

“You're in charge, it's your call,” he said. Abby and Connor nodded that they agreed. Hart stayed motionless, staring off into the distance. 

“Does anyone have a weapon?”

They all shook their heads. Stephen was now the only one of them armed. 

“But that's never stopped us before,” Danny pointed out. 

Jenny looked undecided until they heard shouting coming from the building. Then her indecision turned to resolution. 

“Let's just try not to get ourselves killed,” Jenny suggested. 

Danny smiled. “Isn't that what I always do?”

“Yeah,” Connor said, “driving a train at a dinosaur, that was all about keeping ourselves alive.”

“Worked didn't it?” Danny said, exiting the van and helping Jenny out. The others exited too, except for Hart, who was still sat inside, barely breathing. 

“Are you all right?” Abby asked. “Do you want one of us to stay with you?”

“No,” Hart said, smiling grimly and shaking his head. “I just – I think I should stay here.” 

“Why, what's -” Abby started to say, then she stopped, and put her hand over Hart's where it lay on his now trembling legs. “What's happening to you?”

“Whatever it is that's going on in there, I don't think I'll exist any more.” There were tears in his eyes and a tremble in his voice and he was so obviously trying not to become upset that Abby's heart clenched. 

“I'll stay with you,” Abby said. Hart started to argue but Abby squeezed his hand. “I'll stay with you. Go,” she said to the others, clustered around the van looking equally worried. He might not be their Stephen but he was _a_ Stephen, and that would always count for something. “We'll be fine.”

Jenny nodded. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” she said. 

“And you,” Hart said, nodding to each of the team in turn. They he continued to stare out into nothing, his eyes going dim. 

“Come on,” Danny said, “nothing we can do here.”

There were more raised voices coming from the building and they hurried over. They found Lucas North and Captain Becker pointing their guns at two men dressed in black, and casting curious glances at Matt and Major Graves. 

“Becker?” Jenny shouted, relieved. “Are you all right? What's been going on?”

Becker turned towards her and they could all see that he had a deep gash on his forehead, blood dripping down his face, forcing him to blink away the droplets as they sped past his eye. 

“Had a little trouble, but nothing we couldn't handle,” he said, with a grim smile. 

“There's a first aid kit in the van,” Matt said and Connor ran back to get it. Jenny moved forward and pressed a handkerchief to Becker's forehead, trying to stem the bleeding. 

“Who're our friends?” he asked in a low tone, indicating with a quick eye movement Matt and Major Graves. 

“They're from the future,” Jenny whispered back. “I'm pretty sure they're on our side.”

Becker's eyes only widened a fraction before he nodded. “Right,” he said. “Never a dull moment?”

Jenny laughed a little. “No,” she agreed, “never a dull moment.”

Connor hurried over with the first aid kit and he and Jenny started to patch Becker up whilst Becker gave his gun over to Danny. 

“So what are you guys doing here anyway?” Danny asked Becker. 

“We tracked Cutter down to here,” Becker explained. 

“Cutter's _here?_ ” Connor said. “But how – what?”

“Lester said he was having some trouble getting hold of you – you didn’t know Cutter had been kidnapped?”

“ _Kidnapped?_ ” Jenny repeated incredulously as she applied plaster strips to the cut on Becker's forehead. “Even taking a day off he just can't keep himself out of trouble can he?” 

“Seems not,” Becker agreed. 

“So where is he then?” Connor asked, looking around as if Cutter might spring from his hiding place at any moment. 

“There's an anomaly inside,” Lucas said. “We think he's probably on the other side.” He paused for a moment and looked apologetically at Becker. “Sarah went through after him.”

“She did what?” Becker asked, immediately getting to his feet and half-heartedly apologising to Jenny who had to move quickly out of his way. “Why on earth didn't she wait?”

Lucas shrugged. “It was the only choice she thought she had.”

“Nonsense,” Becker replied. “She could have waited, she's just too bloody eager to go through an anomaly, that's her problem.”

“Er, where's Stephen?” Connor asked, breaking into the conversation. 

“Where do you think?” Lucas asked, indicating the building behind them. “As soon as I told him Cutter might be inside he was off like a shot.”

“Of course he was,” Jenny said. “Becker, you Connor and Danny, go after him. We'll deal with these people.”

The three men nodded and then ran inside while Jenny and the others turned to properly assess their captives. 

“So these men, are they from the future too?” she asked. 

Matt moved over to them and looked them properly up and down. One of them sneered at him, the other spat at him. Major Graves moved as if to backhand him, but Matt grabbed his hand and stopped him. 

“This isn't how things are done here,” Matt said. 

“Well it should be,” Graves replied, casting a disapproving look at Jenny, who was looking back at him, equally disapproving. 

“Is this planning out how you expected Major?” she asked. She just restrained herself from putting her hands on her hips, but it was a close call. 

“Things appear to be spiralling,” he replied, looking at Matt. 

Matt's expression remained blank. “We always knew the variables would be unpredictable.”

“And by variables you mean us?” Jenny asked. “Did it not occur to any of you when you started out on your jaunt into the past that we are people? That our decisions aren't based on what might happen in some distant future, but with what we're faced with today? Our priority is protecting people from the anomalies and then stopping them for good. We can't be distracted any more by interference, be it from the present, the past, _or_ the future.”

Matt's expression softened. “We apologise. This is your time, you know best.”

Major Graves made an incredulous noise but Jenny chose to ignore him. 

“So, who are these people?” Jenny asked. 

“If our records are correct, they've been working for a group of scientists from around the world. Or I should say they've been infiltrating what was a genuine philanthropic scientific organisation meant to better the living conditions of humanity,” Matt explained. “Only they've been using future technology, future _medical_ technology and selling their discoveries to the highest bidder.”

“Medical?” Jenny repeated. “You mean - “ She made a horrified face. “The same technology which saved Stephen?”

Matt nodded. “Our future is overrun with predators because these, _scientists,_ store their experiments there. One giant playground that they get to play in, and the consequences for the human population be damned.”

“That's horrible,” Jenny said. She tried to imagine what a world completely overrun by predators would look like. Bad enough the experiences she'd already had with them. Humanity wouldn't stand a chance.

Matt shrugged. “Its home,” he said, and Jenny felt ten times worse. “But I think we have a real shot of stopping them. Rewriting things so they play out how they should have done. I - “ Matt broke off though when he noticed Major Graves was leaning in very close to one of their prisoners. It almost looked like he was smelling him. 

“What are you - ?” Jenny started to ask, instinctively taking a few steps backwards – she didn’t like the look on the Major's face. 

Graves didn't answer, but pulled open the jacket of the nearest prisoner, and cursed as he revealed a bomb that was rapidly ticking down. 

“Run!” he shouted to Jenny and Matt, who didn't need telling twice. They launched straight for the building's doorway, knowing it was closer than the van. The last thing Jenny thought before a blast of heat seemed to envelop her was that at least Abby and Hart were safe. Then she didn’t think anything at all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Location: The ARC**

Lorraine made a high-pitched squeaking noise and pulled at Lester, trying to shield him with her body. Lester gently moved her aside but didn’t object when her fingers tangled around his arm and stayed there. If nothing else she was the only thing keeping him grounded right now. 

“Die?” Lester said, his voice only wavering a little. “Do you mean everyone or...” he trailed off as the doppelgänger shook his head. It was an even more unnerving feeling than before to see that concerned look on his own face. 

“I mean you, specifically,” the doppelgänger said. Then he looked over at Anatoly who was staring blankly back at them. Lester leaned forward a little, he had just thought it was an effect of the recording equipment in the room itself but now he was certain that he could hear a slight whirring sound, coming from the man – thing- in front of them. 

“Is that – is he making a sound?” Lester asked. 

The doppelgänger nodded. “I rather think everything what's gone on in this room has been transmitted elsewhere. The fact that he hasn't yet self-destructed suggests that his handler is currently indisposed.”

“His handler,” Lester repeated, blankly. “I suppose they're the ones responsible for Professor Cutter's disappearance?”

“Of course.”

“What do you mean Lester has to die?” Lorraine asked, breaking into the conversation. “Why does anyone have to die?”

“How old do you think I am?” the doppelgänger asked her and Lorraine blinked at the non sequitor. 

“I don't know,” she said, waving her hands dismissively, “you only look...” She stopped speaking and then took the time to observe both men together, something she hadn't really focused on up until now. “You only a look few years older than Lester,” she said. “But if you're from ages in the future then...how is that possible?”

“When this all first played out I came in here alone to confront Kuznetsov. He'd been programmed to kill me, but only if I was alone. There's a man, Philip Burton, you may have heard of him?”

Lester nodded. “There have been rumblings in the Home Office about having him appointed to the team.”

“With you dead he would be put in charge of the ARC as your replacement. Eventually the original ARC team would disband, disgusted with Burton's stance on the creatures and the technology that was now at his disposal. And the future would become a barren wasteland.”

“Is he the one behind this?” Lorraine asked. 

“No, I don't believe so. He's just a man who takes advantage of a situation when he sees it,” the doppelgänger responded. 

“But you didn't die,” Lester pointed out, “because you’re standing here telling me this.”

The other Lester smiled and it was a dark, sinister smile that Lester hoped never to see on his own face ever again. 

“No.” The doppelgänger pulled back his jacket and then the skin on his arm, revealing metal underneath. Lester and Lorraine both moved back towards the door. “I lost my arm in the attack and was still alive when the anomaly appeared. I was taken to the future and put in cryogenic storage until I was needed – brought out occasionally to fill the new ARC team in any details they needed – but packed away like luggage waiting to be put to use.”

“Anomaly?” Lorraine asked, just as as Lester asked, “New ARC team?”

“It will be here in a moment,” the doppelgänger said, answering Lorraine's question first. “And yes. You didn’t think the ARC would stay down for very long did you?” he asked Lester. “The team left and disbanded, publicly. But really they formed a – resistance – of sorts. And that grew into the future ARC team. They're more ruthless than their predecessors. More willing to sacrifice others for the greater good. But they have the world's best interests at heart. I do believe that.”

“But not your own,” Lorraine said, quietly. “You don't want your history repeating itself?”

“It's not a very nice life,” the doppelgänger agreed. “The anomaly will be here in a moment.”

“So you think it's better that I die than be subjected to what you were?” Lester asked. 

The doppelgänger stepped forward and in a move that surprised them all, gave Lester a hug. “I think it's better that James Lester die today,” he whispered into Lester's ear. “It's my time.”

They stepped apart and Lester noticed the soft pull against his cufflinks; an anomaly was about to open right where they were standing. 

“Leave, quickly,” the other Lester said. “I only came back so I could get into this room. It's important that I die here today. That Anatoly is seen to be doing his job. It may buy you valuable time. Otherwise, they'll just take me back. And I can't go back.”

“Thank you,” Lester said, words feeling inadequate in the face of the anguish on the other man's face. What horrors would he have had to go through, would his family had to have gone through, if not for such help from the future?

“Lester, move,” Lorraine instructed, and successfully pulled Lester out of the room and slammed the door shut just as the anomaly pulsed into life.

There was a horrifying scream which would haunt Lorraine and Lester for the rest of their days, and then silence. Neither of them dared open the door to look inside but two security guards came running around the corner and careened into a halt as they saw Lester standing before them. 

“Sir?”

“See that no one enters or leaves that room without my say so,” Lester command. He straightened his tie and avoided looking at Lorraine, instead starting to march back towards the Atrium. 

“Sir?” Lorraine asked. “What are you going to do?”

“That other me,” Lester began, “I have a feeling that he's not the only one from the future. You heard him mention those other ARC teams. My bet is they're probably with our teams right now. Maybe that's even why we've been having so much trouble keeping in contact. So I'm going to put in some calls to the Home Office, and you're going to find our teams and send them as much help as humanely possible.” He stopped on the threshold of the Atrium, his hand resting against the door. If he was thinking about the other Lester's arm and what it had become, he didn’t mention it, and Lorraine knew that she'd never be able to bring it up.

“What if we're too late? It's been hours since we've had any communication from most of them.”

“They may be a bunch of misfits,” Lester said, “but they're the smartest, most dedicated set of people I've ever had the misfortune to encounter.” He gifted Lorraine with a small, determined smile. “I think it would take a lot more than the end of the world to stop them. Now, let's get to work.”

“Yes, sir,” Lorraine said, fighting the urge to salute. “Absolutely.”

**Location: Egypt**

Sarah let out a scream, startling herself and Cutter as Dr Morgan fell to the floor, dead. Cutter moved in front of her but she neatly side-stepped him. 

“I'm the one with the gun,” she said firmly, concentrating on sorting her breathing out, just like Becker had taught her. She could do this. Then she turned and pointed the gun at the woman who had appeared at the bottom of the corridor, opposite from the room with the anomaly, remembering to aim at the body; Becker's observation that “head shots are for experts only, mess them up and you get people killed” echoing around her head. 

“Don't move,” Sarah instructed. 

The woman sneered at her but raised her arms in what Sarah felt was a mocking surrender. “As you wish, _ma'am._ ”

Sarah glanced sideways at Cutter but as he was only looking approvingly at her she took a steady step forward. 

“Who are you?”

“Captain Jodie Bryson, ma'am. ARC division 10.” 

“ARC?” Sarah asked. 

Bryson turned a little to the side and tapped the insignia on her shoulder. It was similar to the ARC insignia their soldiers wore, but slightly different, as if it had been redesigned. In fact Bryson's whole appearance made her look like one of their team. Only they'd never kill a civilian. 

Sarah kept both hands wrapped around her gun, and steadied her arm. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to pull the trigger, but she wasn't about to let anyone else see that. 

“What's ARC division 10?” Cutter asked, when it became clear that they were at an impasse. 

Bryson blinked lazily at him and then slowly holstered her own gun. She then raised an enquiring eyebrow in Sarah's direction but Sarah knew that a trained soldier would be able to grab their gun out of the holster before Sarah would be able to move her arm if she lowered her weapon. 

“ARC division 10, sir, is an STK team. We go in when the chance of bringing anyone out alive is...slim.”

“STK?”

“Shoot To Kill.”

Cutter and Sarah turned around at the sound of Stephen's voice. Cutter looked like all his Christmases had come at once and even Stephen looked if not happy, then at least pleased. 

“Probably best if you stop pointing the gun at us,” Danny suggested to Sarah. “We're the good guys, remember?”

“Right, yes, okay,” Sarah replied and quickly turned to face the soldier Bryson again. 

“What on earth – how are you here?” Cutter asked. But without giving Stephen a chance to answer Cutter was enveloping Stephen into a bear hug. “I am so glad to see you, you have no idea.”

Something suspiciously like a sob left Stephen's mouth as he returned Cutter's hug, just as fiercely. “Me too,” he said. 

Danny moved over to Sarah and then looked down at the dead body of Dr Morgan before looking out of the window. “So, we're not in Kansas any more, huh?”

Sarah laughed and hit out at Danny with her foot. “Is there ever a time you don’t feel like joking?”

Danny looked up at the ceiling, as if considering it. “Nope.”

“We should get back through the anomaly,” Stephen said, gently extricating himself from Cutter's grasp but not stepping away from him. “The others might need help.” He looked over at Bryson. “How many more of you are there?”

“We've got our own exit strategy,” Bryson replied instead of answering the question. “I wouldn't bother trying to follow if you've got any sense.”

Too rapidly for anyone to react she pulled a grenade from her belt and threw it into the room next to her, then spun on her heels and started to run. 

“Move!” Danny shouted, pulling at Sarah and twisting her around. They all ran for the anomaly room where they found Connor waiting for them. 

“It's getting weaker!” he shouted. But the rest of his comments were muffled as Danny and Cutter lifted him off his feet and pulled him through the anomaly with them, quickly followed by Sarah and Stephen. 

They tumbled into the room in the present into a heap of arms and legs, each trying to cover their own heads and that of their neighbour. Precious seconds ticked by and nothing seemed to happen and then the anomaly started to pulse in a way that none of them felt was particularly good. 

Outside there was a loud explosion and their heads all went up, confusion mirrored on all their faces. 

“It's gone,” Sarah said. 

They turned around, disentangling themselves as best they could and found that Sarah was right. The anomaly was gone. And so was half the building. 

**Location: Outside the Offices of Florian's Cleaning Services**

The first thing Jenny noticed as she opened her eyes was the stench of burnt flesh. It was, unforgettably, not the first time that she'd had to experience it during this job and it took longer than it should have for her to worry about whether the smell was coming from her. She groaned a little and realised that there was a weight on her back. Almost afraid that she might tear something – maybe the skin off her back – she lifted her shoulders and then managed to get on to all fours and push whatever it was off her. 

Only then did she realise that it was Stephen's double, who'd protected her from the bomb with his body. There was no mistaking the lifeless look in his eyes. 

“He was drifting away anyway,” Abby said, moving forward and closing Hart's eyes. “Are you – are you all right? Hart just went nuts and started running towards you all before I knew what was happening.”

“He could probably sense the frequency of the bomb,” Matt said, helping Jenny to her feet. He had burn marks along his right arm and a cut all along his cheek, but he was able to stand upright, which was something. 

Jenny looked down at herself, trying to catalogue her injuries. Her hair was singed and she knew just by her cursory glance that a lot of it would have to come off. Her face felt bruised, from where she'd slammed it down onto the concrete and her hands were scraped raw but otherwise she was in remarkably good condition. 

She looked around at the rest of the damage and it was then that she spotted Major Graves. “Is he -?”

“Yeah,” Matt said. “Idiot pushed me out of the way.”

“Um, what's that?” Abby asked. She was pointing to a metal disc where the bomber had been standing. Jenny looked around at the floor and frowned; it was littered in pieces of metal. 

“Are they bomb parts?” she asked Matt. 

Matt leaned down to examine them more closely, rubbing a couple of metal fragments in between his fingers. “No,” he said and something in his tone made the hairs on the back of Jenny's neck stand on end. 

“What is it?” Abby whispered. 

“Artificial intelligence,” Matt said. “Expensive, but sometimes used in the field. Generally impervious to modern weapons.”

“Right,” Abby said, very quietly, “Connor's going to regret missing this then.”

“Why are you whispering?” Jenny asked, equally quietly. 

“Because there's another one right behind us,” she said. 

Jenny's eyes opened wide and she looked up, spotting what Abby had seen in the reflection of the van's mirror. It was their earlier prisoner, but this time his flesh was peeling off him and the inner mechanical workings were clear for them all to see.

“Can it be neutralised?” Abby asked Matt. 

“Sure. There's a spot in the middle of its arm, hit that and it goes into a sort of sleep. But you'll never get close enough to touch.”

“You can't just shoot it?” Jenny asked. 

Matt shook his head. “Has to be more pressure than that. Look, why don't I -”

But Matt's suggestion was lost to the wind as Abby spun around and kicked out at the robot. Her first kick was wildly off target and the robot almost got a hold of her but Abby deftly dodged out of the way. Matt pulled Jenny to one side so she was out of the line of fire as the robot moved towards Abby, trying to grab at her hair. She ducked under its flailing arms, hitting the centre of one of them with her hand as she passed and then rolling out of its reach. But nothing happened and the robot kept on coming for her. 

“Must be broken,” Matt said in response to Abby's glare. 

“Right then, let's see how well it does without a head.” And so saying she leaped once more to her feet and then jumped, falling backwards and extending her legs so that she could grip the robots head between her ankles and then twisting herself around, bracing herself for what she knew was going to be a painful impact, but not releasing her grip on the robot. She and it came down with a tremendous thud and Abby twisted for one final time, ripping the robot's head straight off its shoulders. 

“Abby, Abby, are you all right?” Jenny asked, running over to her and kicking the robot's head away. 

“Yeah,” Abby said, clutching at her chest. “I think I bruised a few ribs though.”

“That was quite something,” Matt said, kneeling down next to her. “Your reputation really wasn’t exaggerated.”

“My reputation?” Abby repeated. “I have a reputation?”

“Well, you know, in my time your reports are required reading. Your team's the original, and some say the best. You're not as – regimented. You act on instinct. There's a lot to be said for that.” 

“We certainly have our moments,” Jenny agreed and then sank down next to Abby. 

“Are you all right?” Abby asked her, putting a reassuring hand on Jenny's leg. 

“Yes, yes. Just, feeling a little overwhelmed.” Jenny put a hand up to the back of her head and winced as she felt a bump there. “And maybe a little concussed.”

“I'll call for back-up,” Matt started to say but Abby interrupted him. 

“I'll do that. Can you go in and check on the others? Make sure they're all right.”

“Okay,” Matt agreed. “I won't be long.” Matt stood up and then stopped. “Actually, I don't think I need to go anywhere.” 

They all heard the sirens that seemed to be heading towards them at the same moment and then when Jenny and Abby looked up they saw the rest of the team exiting the building, looking completely bedraggled and shell-shocked, but most importantly alive. They were all alive.


	12. Chapter 12

**Two Weeks Later**

**Location: The ARC**

Stephen was trying his best not to lose his patience with the new doctor in charge of the infirmary, but it was a close call. Thankfully Cutter chose that moment to come and visit him before he did any damage. 

“So, does the patient have the all clear?” Cutter asked, trying to stifle his laugh at the forlorn look on Stephen's face. They'd all had to be checked out, as standard procedure when returning from the other side of an anomaly, but Stephen had been put through every test at least three times, the doctor fawning over his DNA and often forgetting that a person lay at the end of the tests.

“Yes, yes, all the tests have come back fine. Stephen's released back onto active duty.”

“Finally,” Stephen said, hurrying out of the room and past Cutter before the doctor could change her mind. “I thought I was never going to get out of there.”

Cutter smiled and patted Stephen on his back. “We were starting to get a little worried too.”

Stephen looked over at Cutter. “I heard you got the all clear as well. Were they right?”

Cutter hesitated a little too long. “Of course,” he said finally, but Stephen clearly wasn't buying it. 

“Let's make a deal,” Stephen said, “you tell me everything that happened in Egypt...and I'll tell you exactly what Hart and I did in the future.”

Cutter's eyes widened in surprise. “All right,” he said, before he allowed himself the chance to change his mind. It would probably be cathartic for the both of them. And it would also get Jenny off his back – she'd been texting him, emailing him and berating him every chance she got to get Stephen to talk and he'd actually developed a Pavlovian response to his telephone, telling whoever called that he was working on Stephen before finding out who was calling. The only saving grace was that Stephen hadn't been allowed to call anybody until he'd been given the all clear.

They headed towards the Atrium in companionable silence, each lost a little in their own thoughts. 

“So - “ they began at the same time and then laughed as each indicated that the other should start. Finally Cutter convinced Stephen to begin. 

“Abby suggested a memorial, for Hart. Nothing too formal just, I don't want to forget he existed at all. Not after all the help he gave us, and especially not after saving Jenny's life.”

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea,” Cutter said. 

They stepped into the Atrium to find Connor and Sarah fiddling with some of the future tech that had been left behind by the other ARC team. Since returning to the present Sarah's focus seemed to have become much sharper and she was even more eager to get her hand's dirty than she had been before. Cutter suspected he'd lost an ally in the lab, but found a new one out in the field. 

Harry Pearce and Lucas North were walking down from Lester's office, no doubt finalising a few details about that afternoon's raid on the pharmaceutical conglomerate who'd been funding Dr Morgan's research. Not that they had much hope of punishing those at the top – Tariq and Ruth had traced the money trail to China and MI5 didn't hold out much hope of getting any information from there. Though they did promise to keep on digging. 

Philip Burton was still on their radar, but no one seriously thought he'd had any idea what was going on at the ARC, though MI5 promised some low level surveillance. Harry had also extracted more money from the government towards the ARC's funding and a greater military presence which meant that some of the possible future was coming true. Cutter and the others had vowed not to let things get out of their control though – preserving life, both human and creature, was still at the core of their mandate.

MI6 had located the real Anatoly Kuznetsov, dumped in an Army hospital in Afghanistan with no memory of how he had got there. Becker and Lucas were vetting every single member of the ARC's military unit, twice, as Anatoly could only have been removed by an insider. It made them all a little uneasy, but they trusted that once this process was completed, the ARC would be stronger and more tight-knit than ever before.

“How's Lester doing?” Stephen asked. Both men stared up at Lester's office. They could just make out Lester behind his desk, with Jenny and Matt sitting across from him. Just how Matt was going to fit into operations they didn't know but because he'd chosen to stay behind to help them rather than head back to his anomaly rendezvous point he'd lost his chance of going home. Whether it was permanent or not Matt didn't know – or at least wouldn't tell them. For all they knew his home no longer existed and quite how he could still be there was something that even Connor couldn't make them understand.

“Lester's, Lester,” Cutter replied. “I don’t think anything fazes him.”

Lorraine tutted from behind him and made him jump. “I don't think you give the man nearly enough credit,” she said. She was carrying a tray with some mugs of steaming coffee on it, and a plate of biscuits that looked far posher than the stuff they usually found in the staff kitchen, and continued talking even as she headed up to Lester's office. “I’ve never seen him so shaken, or determined to get you the best help he could. He'd do anything for any you. He's even died for you.”

“You're right,” Cutter said, looking abashed. “I’m sorry.” He realised he was as guilty as the rest of them of taking Lester for granted.

Lorraine merely nodded at him and then stepped into Lester's office. 

“That told you,” Stephen observed. 

“Aye, it did didn't it?” He turned towards Stephen and looked like he was going to pull him into a hug before he talked himself out it. “How about you and me do that catching up now? Or just hang out like we used to? A few beers and a takeaway, I'll even let you pick a movie.”

Stephen smiled. “I'd like that,” he said. “But weren't you scheduled to give Danny another dressing down right about now?”

Before Cutter could expand again, at length, on what he thought of Danny's latest antics – as if wrecking a train wasn't bad enough, he'd actually had the temerity to steal a tank last week, claiming he was just testing out the nearby army base's security, and not that he was bored without any anomaly alerts - when the anomaly detector went off. They all looked towards Connor. 

“Eh, hang on,” he said, racing over to the Anomaly Detection Device and furiously typing in some commands. “It looks real,” he said, sounding vaguely astonished. 

“Wasn't Convergence supposed to stop this?” Sarah asked. 

“In my time, yes,” Matt said, from up on the balcony. “But you changed things. Now anything is possible.”

Abby, Danny and Becker came into the Atrium at a slow jog and halted on seeing the expression on everyone's faces. 

“Not a drill, then?” Danny asked, not looking particularly disappointed.

“No,” Cutter replied. “Not a drill.” 

“Well, then,” Lester asked, standing at his most impervious, his arms firmly gripping the railing; he looked like a king about to command his army and everyone straightened up just a little bit, recognising that their jobs were far from over. “What are you all waiting for? There are lives at stake. Get to it.”

“Rain check?” Stephen asked Cutter as they headed towards the parking garage and whatever new adventure awaited them. 

“Always,” Cutter replied, squeezing Stephen's arm quickly and then letting it go. “Always.”


End file.
